Overlea junior guard Korey Blair models his game after Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson. On Tuesday, Blair had a Thompson-like performance with 29 points and multiple clutch defensive plays the fourth quarter of Overlea’s 77-68 win over New Town.
“[Klay Thompson] is who I really like to focus my game on,” Blair said. “Just the way he can score with only a certain amount of dribbles and just the way he’s able to go about himself.”
Coming off a 61-59 loss to Lake Clifton, Blair knew the team needed to set the tone early — and he played a large part in it.
“My teammates just trust me and I know the hard work I put in over the summer,” Blair said. “Being able to come out and start off 5-for-6 from 3 really gave us some momentum… We just came off a tough loss … started off hot, just like we needed to.”
Blair hit 5 of 6 3-pointers and totaled 17 points in the first quarter alone. His performance staked the Falcons to a 28-21 lead at the first break. But the New Town, the reigning Class 2A state champion, refused to go away. Big man Kareem Fowlkes kept the Titans in the game with 14 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Fowlkes had many second-chance points throughout the game, helping his team to a season-high in points despite the loss. He had nine in the first half to lead his team despite its 42-35 halftime deficit.
In the second half, New Town started to find momentum. Blair cooled off a bit from the field, only scoring 10 points in the second half. Five of Blair’s second-half points came in the first three minutes of the third quarter, and four came on free throws in the game’s final minute.
TJ Beckles stepped up in the second half for Overlea, putting together a 17-point performance. Still, New Town kept fighting back. The Titans managed to take a 56-55 lead early in the fourth quarter. Beckles said the team knew how to deal with the challenge.
“Our coach always says adversity is going to hit at some time in a game,” Beckles said. “Basketball is a game of runs. He tells us to stay composed and just lock in on each other, come together at times like that.”
The game’s intensity increased drastically midway through the fourth quarter. Multiple technical fouls were assessed over the course of the second half, including one on New Town after the Titans’ Tyriq Liggins converted a 3-point play through contact. The technical foul halted the Titans’ momentum from the play, which gave Overlea two free throws and the ball.
Josh Byrd kept New Town in the game for a bit with three 3-pointers in the second half, part of a 16-point performance, but Overlea’s defense stepped up in the fourth quarter.
Beckles’ shiftiness on defense, mixed with a drawn charge by Blair, led to two turnovers late in the fourth quarter, a stretch where Beckles scored six straight points to give Overlea a 10-point lead.
“We’re a defensive-minded team first,” coach Will Watts Jr. said. “Once [Beckles] turned that switch on, then his game opened up a little bit.”
Overlea held New Town to just five points over the game’s final three minutes, while the Falcons poured in 11 during the stretch to secure the win.
