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BASKETBALL: Darius Bean, Derrick Walton lead Chandler Park over James Young and Rochester 58-52
SOUTHFIELD – Regarded as the No. 1 and 2 players in the state of Michigan respectively, James Young and Derrick Walton Jr., both lived up to their rankings at Southfield High on Saturday. And in the "The Battle Of The Best" showcase – featuring ten of the best basketball teams in the state and their top athletes in a Michigan Basketball Roundup- all eyes were on the key matchup of Harper Woods Chandler Park, with Michigan commit Derrik Walton, taking on Rochester and Kentucky commit James Young.
And in the end, while both top collegiate commits played well, it was Chandler Park’s Darius Bean who proved the differential, scoring 28 and leading Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy to a 58-52 victory over Rochester.
Both Walton and Young got off to slow starts but picked up their play in the 2nd half. Young kicked things off with a spectacular one handed alley hoop and Walton responded with a strong ankle crossover and pull-up 3-pointer. Although Walton and Young are top 50 players in the country, it was eventually the lesser known forward from Chandler Park who stole the show.
Down 6 late in the third, Walton reeled off 10 straight points to give Chandler Park the lead, before dishing it to Bean for a major dunk. And with the game still close, Bean took it from there, scoring in every manner, closing with 20 in the second half, and adding 8 rebounds and 3 blocks to power Chandler Park. Following a strong Young hook shot with 5 minutes left in the game to cut Chandler Park’s lead to three, Bean hit another huge 3-pointer, then a steal and dunk on the following possession to help Chandler Park pull away for good. Walton’s three pointer with 4 minutes pushed the lead to nine and sealed the 58-52 win. Chandler Park Academy moved to to 2-0 on the season, while Rochester dropped to 2-1 in their first season with Young on board.
Walton finished with 19 points and 7 assists, while Young had 23 points and 23 rebounds. University of Michigan football commit Csont’e York had the play of the game when he dunked over Rochester’s interior defense just before halftime. Chandler Park will take on Toledo Rogers next Saturday at the Romulus High School Christmas Tournament to see if they can keep their winning streak rolling. Rochester and Young will play Detroit Rennaissance at the Motorcity Roundball Classic at Country Day on Dec, 26th.
