Howard Helps SACA Claim Tourney Title

If the goal for the Stone Mountain boys basketball team was showing Dwight Howard that they weren’t intimidated by the number one player in the country, than mission accomplished. But if the goal for Howard was to show that there wasn’t a team in the 2003 Southern Company Gas Holiday Classic that could even contain him, than that goal was heard loud and clear.

The 6-foot-11 Howard fought through a very physical Stone Mountain team and led the Warriors (4-0) with 31 points (9-11 FG, 13-17 FT), 19 rebounds and seven blocks en route to a SACA 72-50 victory the championship game.

The Pirates came out strong in the first quarter and tried their best to stop Howard inside by sending triple teams, sometimes as tight as body suits, on the big man. Their philosophy worked for the first five minutes of the game and Stone Mountain got seven quick points from Aaron Jordan.

SACA responded though with a 20-5 and never looked back. Howard scored 12 points in that stretch, including two monstrous dunks. The Pirates could never recover and battled through foul trouble for the remaining of the first half.

RivalsHoops will have more on Howard in the coming week. Stay tuned.