Players recording a double-double on the hardwood these days has been fairly common.
Hitting double figures over three separate statistical categories in the same game however, is far less common.
A pair of teammates recording a triple-double on the same night, well, that is basically unheard of in high school basketball.
Tuesday night, Mercer Christian senior standout Sam Boothe and sophomore sensation M.J. Patton pulled off the extremely rare feat in a 92-62 home win over Pipestem Christian.
Boothe poured in 29 points, while grabbing 14 rebounds and handing out 13 assists. Patton scored 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
“I had maybe two or three (triple-doubles) last year and a couple in middle school, but I think that is my first one this year,” Boothe said. “At halftime I was three assists away from mine. I got three assists in the third quarter and M.J. got a couple of rebounds and assists in the fourth quarter to get his.”
The Cavaliers had four players score in double figures that night including sophomore Chance Watkins with 17 points and eight rebounds, as well as senior Shaye Basham who scored 12 points.
“We were able to work the ball and get each other shots,” Boothe said about the historic night. “It shows how good our chemistry is as a team.”
Not only were there a pair of triple-doubles Tuesday, the young men from Mercer County were red-hot knocking down 16 shots from being the arc.
Boothe knocked down seven long balls on 11 attempts, while Patton hit three, with Watkins and Basham making two each.
Overall Mercer Christian was 35-for-67 from the field and 16-of-35 from deep.
“As a group we have playing together for a long time, since middle school. We have really good chemistry together,” Boothe said. “We run a lot of sets, so we can get to our spots, read the defense and get good looks at the basket.”
Heading into Monday’s home game with Mount Hope Christian Academy, Mercer Christian has compiled an 11-4 record. Although Boothe leads the team in scoring, the Cavaliers are far from a one-man show.
“This year we have had a lot of guys step up. Shaye (Basham) has been scoring a lot and M.J. has been scoring a lot,” Boothe said. “Isaac (Sharp) leads us in scoring percentage and he has been finishing. Chance has been playing well. It really spreads the floor out, so I can drive and dish. When the defenses collapses on the others, then I can get mine. We have been really balanced this year.”
Boothe averages 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assist per game, followed by Basham,l also a senior, who scores 14 points per night, doubling his output from a year ago.
Coming off a freshman season where he averaged just under double figures, Patton is now scoring right at 13 points per game along with five assists and five rebounds per game.
“M.J. is a 10th-grader, but he doesn’t play like one and Shaye has really stepped up this year,” head coach Jeff Boothe said. “They are good at finding mismatches, getting switches and getting to the rim.”
Briar Lucas, who has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, is the reaming senior on the team. Lucas has been a consistent force scoring five points and grabbing six rebounds. He also averages four assists and three steals.
A nice surprise this year for Mercer Christian has been the addition of sophomore Chance Watkins who played last season at Princeton.
Watkins is contributing eight points and five rebounds in his first season for the Cavaliers.
After battling Mount Hope Christian Monday, the Cavaliers will travel to a tournament at Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.
Boothe is hoping the experience gained down south with help them in the West Virginia Christian Athletic Tournament which will be played in late February at the Summersville Arena and Conference Center.
“The WVCA has gotten a lot tougher this year,” Sam Boothe said. “There are several good players in that conference that get overlooked a lot.”
After finishing third in the tournament last year, Boothe is hoping his final shot at the championship will be a memorable one.
“This is our senior year and we have never won the WVCAT or made it to the championship,” Sam Boothe said. “We are hoping to make a big tournament push this year.”
Games of note against WVSSAC schools remaining for Mercer Christian is a home date with Greenbrier West Saturday and a road game against Wyoming East Feb. 9.
