Palmer packs punch

A sellout crowd watched many of the city's best players live up to expectations Friday as Palmer won a pair of nailbiters at Doherty. Reggie Jackson, who has signed with Boston College, scored 30 points to lead No. 2 Palmer to a 71-65 victory over No. 1 Doherty, despite 29 points by VJ Holmes. "Reggie was on fire," said Palmer senior Jon Burnley, who scored six of his eight points in the fourth quarter. "He was a true ACC player tonight."

In the girls' game, Kaitlyn Lowen grabbed a rebound, dribbled the length of the floor and fed Kylie Berry for an uncontested layup with 14 seconds left to give the No. 1 Terrors a 52-50 victory.

"I knew somebody had to make a play," Lowen said. "This was a huge win, especially in front of this big crowd." Fans certainly got their money's worth.

And the Palmer boys proved a point. "We had to show people who were doubting us," Burnley said. "We had something to prove and they didn't." Palmer (8-0, 3-0 5A Metro) got 20 points from senior Kwame Washington, 15 in the second half. Jackson scored Palmer's first eight points, and the Terrors built a 24-13 lead before Doherty rallied to within 32-28 by halftime. Doherty junior point guard Bryse Velasquez scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half - including five 3-pointers - and put the Spartans ahead 53-51 with 7:24 remaining. Velasquez tied the game at 61 with his final 3-pointer, but Burnley's basket with 2:30 left put Palmer ahead for good.

"We didn't buckle down the stretch," Palmer coach Jimmy Grantz said. "We expected to win and I think that was the difference. We made great decisions in the final minutes. A lot of that credit goes to Zach (Hawkins). He's our point guard, our engine. 

Jackson also had nine rebounds and four assists. "I was pretty hyped," Jackson said. "I think this was my best game. But I think my next game will be even better." Doherty coach Dan McKiernan was disappointed his team didn't continue to feed Holmes down the stretch. "And we only shot one free throw the second half," McKiernan said.

"That means we weren't going to the hole." Leah Fitzgerald scored 16 points for the Palmer girls. Janae Deas led Doherty with 21, including 11 in the fourth quarter when the Spartans rallied from a 10-point deficit. Amy Crockett scored 10 for Doherty, and Emmalee Fladland had 10 for Palmer. Deas' driving basket tied it at 50 with 38 seconds left. Doherty had a shot to take the lead, but Lowen rebounded and aggressively made the decisive play.

"Deas made some huge shots," Doherty coach Stephanie Leasure said. "Leah just killed us."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0250 or bob.stephens@gazette.com