All of Stewart's points were posted in the final quarter. More specificially, in the final 7 minutes, 48 seconds.
That's right. Not only did he decline to shoot beforehand, he barely acknowledged the basket's existence.
Stewart wound up shooting 3-for-3 and 4-for-4 and his first attempt was a trey from a spot slightly to the left of the top of the key. Ja'Quan Newton did the passing. The ball did the swishing.
"Yes, I actually knew it," Stewart said, smiling, when asked if he knew he hadn't attempted a shot. "A couple times earlier, I posted up and wanted the ball but it didn't get tossed my way.
"Everybody has their goals and dreams. Everybody likes to get points. But I want to be one of those people who doesn't worry about his points, but wants to make sure his team wins. I was still doing things, like setting picks for guys and hitting the boards. Team first. My points second. I know we all can't score a lot on this team every game. That's why I like playing defense."
Stewart's noteworthy contribution came in the midst of a decisive stretch.
The Prep had fallen into a 12-2 hole at the beginning of the game, but now was within three as the third quarter was just about ending. Billy Shank beat the buzzer with a left-wing trey on a pass from John Davis to make it 44-38 and Stewart opened the fourth with his mad-bomber imitation.
The Saints weren't home free for their 66th consecutive CL victory over 4 years, counting the regular season and playoffs, but they were sittin' kinda pretty.
What made Stewart choose that moment to fire away?
"Coach [Carl Arrigale] always says, 'Shoot with confidence. Shoot it if you're open,' " Stewart said. "So, when I got the ball there, I was open and I decided to do it. My eyes were up. My feet were set. Let it fly. I felt confident it would go in because I knew I was fully focused. As I rose up, it felt good coming out of my hand."
