Yates High School of Houston, Texas, defeated Class 4A District 21 foe Lee 170-35 Tuesday night, setting the state record for points in a game and sparking a national debate in the process.
Despite a 100-12 halftime lead, the Lions stayed true to their pressing and trapping style, which didn’t sit well with Lee head coach Jacques Armant.
“I feel very disrespected right now,” Armant told the Houston Chronicle after the game. “I don’t understand why Yates just kept scoring and pressing when they were up so much. These are kids. It isn’t good to do that to other young men.”
Yates head coach Greg Wise defended his team’s efforts. The Lions are ranked No. 2 nationally this week in MaxPreps.com's Xcellent 25.
“We practice running, pressing, trapping every day,” Wise told the Chronicle. “If we get to a game and I tell them not to do what we do in practice, I am not coaching well. I am not leaving my starters in the whole game. We have 15 guys, and all 15 play.”
The result stirred debate that played out everywhere from ESPN to local talk radio in Houston.
When reached by phone Wednesday, Armant was lessed concerned with the score than the media coverage of the game.
"We don’t have a problem with the score. We teach our team to play hard from the first quarter to the fouth quarter," Armant said. "The media has made this a circus, and it’s sad that every time you turn on the radio, you hear about it. I drive a kid home every day and this kid was so mad, he was like ‘I can’t stand this anymore, turn it off.’ This is just crazy.”
According to the Chronicle, a second-half scuffle broke out. In a unique response, officials forced each team to finish the game with the same five players with no substitutions. Bench players watched the second half from the stands.
Armant said that Yates players and fans spilled out onto the court after Lion senior guard Brandon Peters shoved a player from Lee. He also expressed concern that the incident painted the wrong picture of his team and program.
“I have five or six kids going to Division I schools on academic scholarships. Nobody wants to print that,” Armant said. “Most of my kids are taking AP courses and are on the honor roll.
“The real story isn’t getting out, and that’s what hurts me. If you are interested in breaking records, that’s not the main focus of high school sports. That’s not the stuff I’m teaching my kids. Nobody shows me taking kids home in an impoverished area where there is gang violence, or calling kids before school and telling them to get on the bus. Nobody shows them doing study hall before school. It’s crazy.”
The Lions are averaging 119 points per game. That mark would smash the national record for points per game over a season. Yates beat Houston Austin 139-51 last Saturday and has topped 120 points seven times.
