Cass rides Shaw, Warn all the way

CARTERSVILLE, GA - The plan was simple for Cass High School on Tuesday night against East Paulding. Don’t let the big guys on the other team get touches or rebounds. After all, the first time the two teams played, East Paulding used that formula to win.

Not this time.

Cass limited East Paulding’s big men to put backs and few touches in their offensive schemes and picked up a hard fought 83-72 victory. Of course, getting 61 points from their guards never hurts either.

Cass (3-1) head coach Ed Riddle looked to senior Dexter Shaw early and often as the unsigned prospect went off from all spots on the floor.

Shaw looked every bit of a top 20 player in the state. The unsigned senior was outstanding on the offensive side of the floor. Shaw finished with a flawless 32 points (9-16 FG, 13-15 FT, 3-10 from three) in the victory. Shaw, a 6-4 shooting guard, added seven rebounds, six assists and four steals to his attack.

“He plays like you want your seniors to play like,” Riddle said. “Any time you can have a scorer go to the line like he can, he’s going to be automatic for you. We’re going to try to get him to the line as much as we can.

“He can get up on you and then take one step and he’s gone. He’s so quick and real smooth with the ball and with his shot.”

Shaw, who is averaging 28.2 points a game this year, said he wants to go out swinging in his final year at Cass.

“I’m gong to try to the best that I can every time out and leave Cass High School the best I can,” Shaw said. “But I want to motivate some of these younger players for next year and the year after that.”

The young guys are watching and listening. Sophomore Cory Warn was just as spectacular. The 6-3 slasher finished with 29 points (9-16 FG, 6-11 FT, 3-5 from three).

“He’s just a sophomore and he’s realizing that it is all about players wanting it more,” Riddle said. “When we need to score, we’re going to look to him and to Dexter. Tonight, (Warn) was playing good defense the whole game and he was making things happen.”

Warn was a disruptive force on the defensive end and forced a number of East Paulding (2-1) turnovers.

East Paulding had success in the first match-up, particularly inside with 6-10 center Jon Pack. On Tuesday night, the senior big man was limited to five shot attempts. He finished with a season low five points but did coral 10 rebounds. Senior Rodney Johnson scored a team high 20 points and brought down 12 rebounds. Most of his points came on put back scores inside.

GEORGIAHOOPS Player of the Game: Dexter Shaw, Sr. , Shaw