Aminu Mohammed’s historic night sends Greenwood to first Blue & Gold title

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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Records set. An all-time player upping his game to an unprecedented level. A long-awaited championship for the host school.

Monday was a historic night for Greenwood athletics and star guard Aminu Mohammed.

He poured in a tournament-record 49 points as Greenwood defeated Class 5 Kickapoo 65-55 for the Gold Division title at JQH Arena.

“It’s special, but it’s not special without my teammates,” said Mohammed, who added 22 rebounds in the win. “My teammates made it special for me.”

The Blue Jays have hosted the Blue and Gold Tournament for 74 years, but had never won a championship in the event before Monday night.

Greenwood, a Class 2 school, knocked off four bigger schools (Camdenton, Mt. Vernon, Ozark and Kickapoo) along the way.

“It’s special,” said Greenwood coach Darren Taylor. “Anytime you can get the championship in a great tournament like this, it’s a tremendous accomplishment.”

Mohammed, a top recruit nationally in the Class of 2021, awed an estimated crowd of 7,500 and set three tournament records in the process.

• Most points in a Blue and Gold game: 49
• Most points in one Blue and Gold Tournament: 155
• Most field goals made in one Blue and Gold Tournament: 57

Mohammed saved his best for last. He accounted for 27 of Greenwood’s 28 second-half points.

“I’ve seen a lot of special things because I’ve coached him for two years now. Tonight, it was a whole new level,” Taylor said. “He put on a show for anybody that was here, and it looked like there were several people here.”

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME

Mohammed said he wasn’t aware during the game that he had a shot at breaking the single-game scoring record.

“I didn’t know (about it) until I heard people telling me,” Mohammed said.

Niangua’s Tim Williams set the previous Blue and Gold single-game scoring record (48) in a four-overtime game in 1981.

Kickapoo junior guard Anton Brookshire, another sought-after recruit in the Class of 2021, led the Chiefs with 22 points. His 3-pointer gave the Chiefs (6-3 overall) a brief 52-50 lead with 3:30 left.

Mohammed answered with a three-point play to put Greenwood (11-0 overall) ahead again. He followed that with a 3-pointer on Greenwood’s next possession that put the Blue Jays ahead for good, 56-53.

The Blue Jays closed the game on a 15-3 run.

Mohammed said he adjusted his game in the second half.

“In the first half, I took some bad shots. Crazy shots,” Mohammed said. “They always say, ‘Use your strength. Play to where you’re strongest.’ For me, that’s mid-range. So, I took advantage of that. I know defenders can’t jump all the way up to contest that shot, and I’m going to make that shot.”

Greenwood, the defending Class 2 state champions, needed late rallies against Ozark in the semifinals and Mt. Vernon in the quarterfinals to reach Monday night’s title game. Against Mt. Vernon, Greenwood trailed by 10 with just three minutes remaining.

“I always say that in this tournament you have to win one you maybe shouldn’t and that Mt. Vernon game maybe was the one for us,” Taylor said. “I think it gave us a little confidence.”

Greenwood 65, Kickapoo 55
Greenwood 19 18 13 15 — 65
Kickapoo 14 19 14 8 — 55

Greenwood – Aminu Mohammed 49, Tommy Pinegar 11, Kaden Stuckey 3, Nicolas Burri 2
Kickapoo – Anton Brookshire 22, Cameron Liggins 13, Elijah Bridgers 9, Cary Ragan 6, Micah McIntire 3, Cross Elmquist 2

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