| Peach State Classic
Talk about it in Basketball Recruiting Board
ATLANTA, GA - DeMarcus Cousins and Derrick Favors, two of the top three players in the class of 2009, met head to head in the first round of the Peach State Holiday Classic at Morehouse College on Wednesday. Rivals.com was there to exclusively cover the action.
Sophomores square off on big stage
DeMarcus Cousins, the No. 1 ranked sophomore in the nation, matched up with Derrick Favors, the No. 3 ranked sophomore in the country, is about as good as you'll get in the sophomore class this season.
But for the large crowd that waited around for the five-star showdown had to settle for an ugly 39-31 win for Favor's South Atlanta squad.
DeMarcus Cousins looked every bit of 6-foot-9 and a solid 235 pounds but he moved with a smoothness that guys his size don't normally do. On the first possession of the game, the Birmingham, Ala., native sunk a beautiful 17 foot jumper over the outstretched hands of Favors. Things looked good for Erwin and DeMarcus Cousins early on.
However, the game hit a lull and the energy seemed to be sitting on pause. Both players sat on four points at the half.
The third quarter provided a spark for the game. DeMarcus Cousins had his dunk attempt blocked by the front of the rim, which gave the Atlanta crowd a buzz. On the rebound and sprint down the floor, Favors skied for a thundering dunk over a helpless defender that awoke Forbes Arena, a place that had been sleeping for a good part of the day. On the next South Atlanta possessions, Favors did it again and powered home another loud dunk.
Favors was more of a force on the defensive end as he blocked eight shots by our count. More importantly, he was a disruptive presence inside the paint. DeMarcus Cousins and his teammates were frustrated by Favors' ability to thwart anything that came into the lane. DeMarcus Cousins missed eight shots five feet from the basket. Favors had everything to do with that.
Offensively, Favors, who is a year younger than his class of 2009 peers, was simplistic and played like a big man. There was little flash about his buckets in this game and he did a good job of finding his way to the line in the second half.
DeMarcus Cousins showed flashes of why he was placed at the top spot of the 2009 rankings. His first bucket of the game was, as one coach who was in attendance, "a flat out pro move." DeMarcus Cousins can do a lot inside and away from the basket but once Favors seemed to channel the energy in the gym after his back-to-back dunks, he claimed the game as his own and helped South Atlanta win the match-up.
Inside the five-star numbers:
Favors – 17 points, 10 rebounds, eight blocked shots, three steals, 6-10 FG, 5-6 FT
DeMarcus Cousins – 7 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocks, two steals, 3-16 FG, 1-6 FT
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