Patriots crowned Steel City champs

Homewood gutted out an impressive 51-41 victory over J.O. Johnson in the championship game of the Steel City Invitational, held at Samford University inside the Pete Hanna Center, on Tuesday night.

After a slow first half that saw the Jaguars get out to a 14-4 lead and head into the half with a 23-19 lead, Homewood upped its game in the third quarter. The Patriots outscored J.O. 21-11 in the frame to distance themselves and cement the victory.

Luke Touiliatos put the Patriots on his shoulders offensively. The sharpshooter scored 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting (4-of-9 from three-point range) and led his team with six rebounds.

The rest of the offensive production was split among several others for Homewood. Trey Jemison and Ronald Claiborne each scored eight in the game, and Logan Padgett added seven.

Five-star prospect John Petty led J.O. with 13 points and seven boards. He made six of the nine shots he took inside the three-point arc, but his outside shot was an entirely different story. He misfired on all six attempts from deep.

A quick scan of the box score reveals that many of the statistics were close across the board, with one glaring exception. The game boiled down to the fact that Homewood made a few more shots than J.O., as the Patriots shot 47% to 34% for the Jaguars.

Homewood ran the gauntlet in the tournament, defeating Jackson-Olin and Madison Academy on Saturday, Sacred Heart on Monday, and J.O. Johnson.