Dec 17, 2013 3 min read

One thing the Washington High School boys’ basketball team has shown during the early part of the season is depth.

That depth was important Tuesday night, when the host Prexies broke open a close game in the third quarter and cruised to a 75-59 victory over Chartiers-Houston in a Section 4-AA game.

“We are a true team this year,” said Wash High head coach Mark Gaither. “We are able to get production up and down the roster. Every night, it seems like someone different is stepping up in a big way.”

Against the Bucs (0-2, 3-2), that guy was senior guard Dupree Jenkins.

After Chartiers-Houston took a 39-38 lead in the third quarter following a three-pointer by Alec Ferrari, Jenkins provided the spark the Prexies (2-0, 5-0) needed, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the quarter. Jenkins also did it on the defensive end, recording three steals in the quarter as Wash High went up 12 before the third ended.

“Dupree was outstanding tonight,” said Gaither. “He brings energy, and we needed some coming out of halftime. He’s done a lot of good things for us the past two years.”

Jenkins’ play was enough as the game never got back into single digits in the fourth quarter.

The Prexies got off to a great start as Quorteze Levy scored the game’s first six points, helping Wash High to an early 10-3 lead.

The Bucs fought back and trailed by only three after the first and second quarters.

A lot of that was because of Ferrari and Miles Williamson, who combined to score 19 of the Bucs’ 32 first half points. Chartiers-Houston also was able to slow down the Prexies for a stretch in the first half.

Twenty of Wash High’s first 26 points came in transition but once the Bucs slowed the Prexies, they got back into the game and took the lead.

That strategy only worked until the Prexies got back to using their speed, and the lead stretched to double figures in a matter of minutes.

“We were playing a bit short-handed,” said Chartiers-Houston head coach Eugene Briggs. “It’s hard enough going up against a deep and talented team like Wash High when you are at full strength. But when you have a guy like Kodie Hanley limited, it’s tough. I thought we did a good job against them defensively when we had them in their half-court sets. The problem is that they weren’t in them nearly enough. You can’t let them get out and run, and we had trouble slowing them down.”

While Jenkins turned out to be the spark the Prexies needed in this one, they got balanced scoring throughout the lineup.

Levy thrived in the paint, finishing with a team-high 22 points, and Nate Swart hit big shots, finishing with 16. DeQuay Isbell also finished in double figures with 14.

Ferrari did his best to keep the Bucs in the game, finishing with a game-high 24, and Williamson chipped in with 14.

“We have talent, but we have to keep working and keep getting better,” said Gaither. “We just have to keep practicing hard and keep working hard on and off the court.”