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Columbus South 60, Independence 49 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Darkell Curry, 01/26/21, 9:30AM EST

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Marquis Hawthorne's 21 powers South to win in City League return

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Even amidst the pandemic, we’ve been able to have a competitive  season with teams from all areas getting after it . After Monday night, it’s refreshing to say that all teams in the area are playing now ,as the Columbus City league returned to play. South was able to start the season off with a win, as they edged Independence 60-49, behind 21 points from Senior forward Marquis Hawthorne.

After South started out up 7-2 , Independence was able to rip off a 12-2 run to end the quarter. They were paced by senior guard Keshawn Harris who had eight points in the quarter.

The second quarter was really choppy with a lot of fouls being called.  Despite only making three field goals, South managed to take a 28-26 lead into halftime behind 13-of-15 shooting from the free-throw line.

Opening of the third quarter had a better flow to it, and saw Harris along with South's Maurice Barnes getting after each other, with Harris going for eight and Barnes going for six as well as some big defensive plays. South took a 42-37 lead into the final frame, and led by eight with just under three minutes left.

Independence offered one final push going on a quick 6-0 spurt, cutting the lead to just two. Unfortunately for the Sixers though that was as close a they would get as South took care of business at the free-throw line to secure the game. The Bulldogs shot 40 free-throws on the night, making 27.

For South, Marquis Hawthorne had a game-high 21 points, Maurice Barnes added 12 points and Maurice Mccall added 11.

For Independence, Keshawn Harris led with 20 and Orlando Jones added nine.

Maurice Barnes (5'11 G / South / 2021): Battling foul trouble and eventually fouling out, Barnes played fairly well while he was in the game. His jump shot wasn’t falling but he didn’t settle as he aggressively attacked the rim and showed the ability to finish through contact with three-and-1 finishes. Defensively he applied great on ball pressure and was able to force a few turnovers. After being a spark off the bench the past few years, Barnes looks ready to step into a leading role and looked the part of an all-city league performer.

Keshawn Harris (6’0 G / Independence / 2021): The senior guard excelled in the pick in roll tonight, getting downhill and finishing at the rim or pulling up for mid-range jumpers. He made some good reads when double-teamed finding the open guy who just didn’t make the shots sometimes. Harris will be one of the city league's leading scorers as he can get hot in a hurry and just has a knack for putting the ball in the basket.

Marquis Hawthorne (6’5 F / South / 2021): Hawthorne showed off some good hands, catching everything  that came his way. He finished well at the rim on Monday, as he saw himself in the high-low action a lot, and consistently carved out space down low and went up strong all night. When he didn’t finish, he was able to draw contact and get to the line where he shot a superb 7-for-8. Hawthorne can stretch it out to 15-18 feet and he uses that to his advantage with some nice ball fakes and drives from  the mid range. Look for Hawthorne and Barnes to be a strong 1-2 punch that teams will have to worry about.

Maurice Mccall (6’0 G/ South / 2024): Mccall looked extremely comfortable for a freshman in his first varsity start. The freshman didn’t fill up the scoring column but was good on defense, constantly pressuring the ball and he had his nose in every 50/50 ball. He grabbed a ton of rebounds and was a workhorse that managed to live at the line, getting there for 15 attempts. Mccall is a young guard to keep an eye on.

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