Smith Gets Win Over Wright
Brandon Wright may of had the stronger individual performance of the night, but Tyler Smith and Giles Co. (Tenn.) High School overcame an eight point deficit in the fourth quarter to take a thrilling 59-57 victory over Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy.
The 6-foot-7, 210-pound Smith, who is No. 19 in the Rivals75 for the class of 2005, finished with 21 points while shooting 9 of 20 from the field and 3 of 8 from the free throw line.
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Smith was guarded by the 6-foot-9, 190-pound Wright throughout the game while Smith only occasionally guarded Wright.
Wright, who is establishing himself as a top 5 player in the class of 2006, electrified the crowd with his dominant presence around the basket, blocking 7 shots and consistently finishing above the rim.
Wright finished with 20 points on 9 of 11 shooting from the field and 2 of 3 shooting from the line.
Offensively, Smith either posted up or drove to the rim. Wright primarily posted up, while also helping Brentwood Academy in the back court on the press break.
Both players only took one perimeter shot, with Wright knocking down a fifteen footer and Smith missing from three.
Several coaches made the trip to Nashville for the game. Coach Pitino from Louisville was in attendance, along with assistant coaches, Orlando Early of Alabama, Charles Ramsey of Michigan, and Steve Robinson of North Carolina.