Rock Steady: Archie Goodwin and Jarnell Stokes slay Team Canada’s 7-feet-4 Goliath

When it counted most, Archie Goodwin came up big.
The high recruited Little Rock guard led an assortment of all-American caliber players to the title of the Nike Global Challenge on Sunday night, and did so in assertive fashion.
With swooping layups, dunks, feathery runners, and jumpers of nearly every distance, the rising senior scored 11 points in the pivotal fourth quarter of his USA Midwest team’s 99-94 win against Team Canada in Oregon.
The US team trailed 81-78 going into the last quarter, but Goodwin and Jarnell Stokes helped them claw back into the game. Goodwin hit four of five field goal attempts, including a layup, dunk, 15-foot jumper, and two runners, while Stokes battled the 7-4 Sim Bhullar inside.
Early in the quarter, Stokes showed the ruggedness that makes him one of the most highly recruited post players of the class of 2012, as he bulled baseline for a Carmelo Anthonyesque layup. Although Bhullar did block one of Stokes’ later interior shots, Stokes still helped Goodwin ice the game from the free throw line in the last minutes.
Goodwin made three of four free throws, missing his last attempt with his team up 95-91 with 21 seconds to go.
But he scrambled to the ball, stripped it from the lumbering Bhullar’s meaty paws and managed to fling it back into play despite falling out of bounds. Teammate Terry Rozier caught it, and made two free throws to essentially end it.
As the tourney’s waning seconds ticked down, Goodwin threw the ball high into the air and excitedly clapped hands with his teammates and coach.
His summer, riddled by injury and disappointing losses, ended on the brightest possible note.

The Nike Global Challenge is an 8-team, 12-game tournament featuring the top high school talent and best U19 players from international teams. Below are the stats of Goodwin and Stokes in their three wins:

USA Midwest 103, Germany 58
Stokes: 15 points on 6-12 field goals, 3-4 free throws, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 0 turnovers
Goodwin: 6 points on 3-8 FGs (0-2 3pts), 0-0 FTs, 1 reb, 3 assists, 3 stls, 3 TOs

USA Midwest 121, USA East 101
Stokes: 0 points on 0-1 FGs, 0-2 FTs, 14 rebs, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 TO
Goodwin: 23 points on 11-19 FGs (1-5 3pts), 0-0 FTs, 1 ast, 0 TO

USA Midwest 99, Canada 94
Stokes: 13 points on 5-8 FGs, 3-4 FTs, 8 rebs,  2 TOs
Goodwin: 23 points on 9-15 FGs (2-4 3pts), 3-4 FTs, 4 rebs, 1 ast, 3 stls, 4 TOs

Tournament highlight video available here.

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