Ypsilanti junior Derrick Richardson moves the ball down the court during the second half of the Phoenix's 70-59 SEC crossover win over Pioneer.

Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com

The Pioneer High School boys basketball team had studied the plays meant to free him up. Knew when and where the screens were coming.

The Pioneers were prepared to defend Ypsilanti’s scoring machine, Tristan Simmons.

Or so they thought.

The 6-foot-3 junior guard poured in a game-high 23 points in Ypsilanti's 70-59 Southeastern Conference crossover win at Ypsilanti High School, highlighted by a pivotal 3-pointer with 4 minutes, 37 seconds left.

Pioneer had trimmed Ypsilanti’s lead to three before the Phoenix ran a double-screen for Simmons, who found daylight and drained a top-of-the-key 3-pointer - one of his four on the night.

“(Simmons is) a kid that really kind of relishes hitting big shots and we called a double staggered (screen) for him and he knocked it down,” said Ypsilanti coach Steve Brooks.

Simmons’ basket stopped an 8-2 Pioneer run that opened the fourth quarter.

“That’s the shot that coach wanted,” shrugged Simmons, whose team called a timeout once Pioneer cut it to a one possession game. “I was kind of dead that (second) half and that helped. It kind of built our team momentum and got everybody back and intense.”