Experience Pays Off for Mayfair

When he was a freshman at Lakewood Mayfair High, guard Edwin Draughan says his team would have lost a game like this.

What a difference a few years of experience has made for the Monsoons.

Mayfair was poised and collected in a 68-64 overtime victory Thursday night over Durham (N.C.) Mt. Zion in the championship game of the Rim Rattler Holiday Hoops Invitational at The Pyramid in Long Beach.

It was the second overtime victory in a row for the Monsoons (9-0), who defeated Long Beach Poly in triple overtime the night before.

And just like the night before, seniors Josh Childress and Draughan showed the way.

Childress, who has signed with Stanford, finished with 26 points and Draughan, who has committed to Yale, scored 22.

Childress also was named the tournament’s most valuable player.

Mt. Zion, a perennial national power, was ranked No. 15 in a national poll.

But after the victory over Long Beach Poly, Childress said the Monsoons had no doubts against the Mighty Warriors (19-3).

“I feel we can compete with anybody we play,” he said. “We play defense as well as anybody I’ve seen.”

Playing against a Mt. Zion team that has a front line that measures 6 feet 8, 6-8 and 6-9 across, Mayfair was more than up to the task.

With the victory, Childress said Mayfair should finally start to receive the respect it deserves.

“People always say we’re a soft team,” he said. “But when we beat teams like this, we should finally get some respect.”

Mt. Zion, which has an international flavor on its roster including players from Yugoslavia and Canada, was led by Jarrett Jack with 27 points.

“We were real tired because we played more games than they did,” said Coach John Lewis, whose team was playing its fifth game in the tournament. “But we didn’t play as well as we could.”

Mayfair was also sparked by Matt McCraw with 15 points, including 12 in the second half when the Monsoons fought back from a seven-point deficit.