Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week: Crestwood's Rembert leads the charge as Knights clinch region

The Crestwood boys basketball team needed a pair of wins last week to win Region VI-3A outright. Standing in their way was a team that required a half-court buzzer-beater to take down in their first matchup, Darlington, and one of their county rivals, Lakewood.

The top team in 3A needed to see who was going to step up to lead the team to a pair of wins.

Senior Justin Rembert was happy to oblige.

The standout guard scored at least 20 points in both games as the Knights clinched the region's top seed and a chance to play at home three times to open the postseason. The performance also earned him the title of Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"My mindset going into the week was to just win the games and put the team on my back and carry them," Rembert said, noting that he appreciated the support from the Crestwood community. "We needed to have those three home playoff games."

Crestwood head coach Aric Samuel appreciated the way his senior stepped up when it mattered most.

"When you go out there and your team is playing hard, you still have to score the basketball," Samuel said. "I think he lifted the pressure from the team by hitting some early shots, some pretty contested three-point shots. That got the team moving in the right direction. I think that lifted the confidence of the team. He picked the right time to play well."

In the first game with Darlington, Corean Nelson had to sink a half-court shot in overtime to secure a needed region victory. The Knights were determined to make sure the rematch was a little less stressful.

"In the first game, we really changed our gameplan to be laid back," Rembert said. "The second time, we played how we play: fast and pressed up."

Rembert scored 20 points as the Knights earned a comfortable 63-49 win.

"(They played) man to man, so we had the screens. I just rolled off the screens, and we ran our offense, and it opened up," Rembert said.

The Knights then hosted Lakewood for a big game on Friday. The Gators were fighting for second place in the region, so they had a lot to play for. Crestwood had already earned at least a share of the region title but wanted to claim the crown outright on senior night. The game was also the WACH Fox Game of the Week, so emotions were running high.

"We were just going to play our game," Rembert said of the matchup. "Our plan was to stop the big man (Myles Squirewell) and No. 3 (Cedric Cisse). We just had to run our offense and get what we could get out of it."

The senior guard led the Knights with 23 points as Crestwood defended The Castle with an 88-72 win.

"You've got a lot of elements in play," Samuel said of everything that went into the matchup with Lakewood. "I would call them good distractions, but it still throws you off your normal routine. That was a great night for our program. We got a critical conference win, a critical county win, and we had the opportunity to showcase our program to viewers across South Carolina. It was just a great night, and Justin was behind that with some unbelievable shot-making.

"He also improved in his defense and his focus. We've been challenging him, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Once he made that progression, his offense followed. He's getting steals, dunks and hitting threes. That's what you want."

Rembert got out to a slower offensive start to the season, as he missed the entire preseason with a dislocated finger. During region play, the Knights made the adjustment to move him from point guard to the No. 2 guard, and it has worked wonders.

"Midway through the conference, we decided to move Corean to the 1, just to try to relieve Justin a little bit and try to get him going offensively. That's been a big-time move for us," Samuel said. "Since we made that move, Justin is probably averaging about 20 points per game."

The senior guard said the scoring leap was the result of a lot of hard work.

"At the end of the season, I've been able to get in the gym more often, working on my shots and taking my time," Rembert said.

Now the Knights are preparing to make a playoff run. Last season, Crestwood earned a No. 1 seed only to fall to Fox Creek in overtime 63-61 in the second round of the playoffs. Rembert and the Knights are determined to avoid a repeat of history.

"It's driving me to go harder because I felt like we could get it," Rembert said. "This year, I feel like we have all the pieces to get it this year.

"We have to focus, practice hard and play hard, and I think we'll get there as a team."

Samuel is looking forward to seeing what Rembert is able to do in the postseason, and that starts in practice.

"One thing I want to see from Justin and the seniors is just leadership in practice," Samuel said. "We have to have playoff practices. Everyone has to take their focus and effort in practice to the next level. He's been with me for almost four years; it's time for him to take that leadership role in practice. I think he has a big influence on the team; when he speaks, they will listen.

"If we can get that leadership in practice, I'm confident it will carry over into games, and we'll make the run that we didn't make last year."