1 of 5
Kyle Parmley
Homewood Basketball
Homewood's Andrew Cleveland (12) in a Steel City Invitational game between Homewood and Parker on Thursday, December 22, 2016, at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
2 of 5
Kyle Parmley
Homewood Basketball
Homewood's Larkin Williams (0) in a Steel City Invitational game between Homewood and Parker on Thursday, December 22, 2016, at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
3 of 5
Kyle Parmley
Homewood Basketball
Homewood's CD Daniels (3) in a Steel City Invitational game between Homewood and Parker on Thursday, December 22, 2016, at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
4 of 5
Kyle Parmley
Homewood Basketball
Homewood's Luke Touliatos (24) in a Steel City Invitational game between Homewood and Parker on Thursday, December 22, 2016, at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
5 of 5
Kyle Parmley
Homewood Basketball
Homewood's Andrew Cleveland (12) in a Steel City Invitational game between Homewood and Parker on Thursday, December 22, 2016, at Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
Parker gained control in the third quarter against the Homewood High School boys basketball team on Thursday, defeating the Patriots 54-38 in the teams’ final games at the Steel City Invitational.
The Thundering Herd led by a single point, 20-19, at the halftime break, but an 11-3 run out of the locker room gave Parker a stranglehold on the game and allowed them to milk the rest of the clock.
In the Patriots’ sixth game in eight days, coming off a trip to Orlando, and the second consecutive day without key forward Trey Jemison, Homewood began to show signs of fatigue.
“Our guys’ bodies are tired, and it obviously showed out there, but that’s no excuse,” Homewood head coach Tim Shepler said.
The reigning champions of the Steel City Invitational lost a close battle with Pelham in the tournament’s opening day, before falling short against Vestavia Hills on Wednesday. On Thursday, the story was Parker’s length and athleticism.
“We knew were going to be behind the 8-ball a little bit there, but we thought we had a shot at halftime,” Shepler said. “But we didn’t shoot the ball well (in the second half)."
No Homewood scorer reached double figured, but Luke Touliatos scored six of his team-high nine in the first half, including a four-point play, as he was fouled on a 3-point make. The Patriots shot just 33% in the contest, compared to Parker’s 42%.
Point guard CD Daniels scored eight points, and chipped in five boards and three assists. Logan Padgett scored all six of his points in the first half.
Jason King led Parker with 21 points on 8 of 17 shooting, while also securing eight boards.
Homewood returns to action next week, as it hosts the Metro Tournament.