Scotlandville vs. St. Thomas More: The 10 Best (Video)
It’s a must-watch anytime Louisiana’s top player in the Class of 2018 is on the court and Scotlandville’s Javonte Smart didn’t disappoint. The 6-foot-4 point guard put up 24 points with 11 rebounds and 6 assists in Thursday night’s Country…
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Continue ReadingIt’s a must-watch anytime Louisiana’s top player in the Class of 2018 is on the court and Scotlandville’s Javonte Smart didn’t disappoint. The 6-foot-4 point guard put up 24 points with 11 rebounds and 6 assists in Thursday night’s Country Day Classic Championship to lead the Hornets to a 60-43 win over St. Thomas More.
The Cougars made a run in the third quarter to chop a 16-point deficit to 7 going into the fourth quarter but Scotlandville was able to pull away down the stretch. Check out The 10 Best and the highlight packages from the game below:
Stats
Scotlandville: Javonte Smart — 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists; Lamarq Williams — 12 points, 12 rebounds; Jaylen Hawkins — 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Reece Beekman — 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists; Levi Lewis — 4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
St. Thomas More: Jude Joseph — 13 points, 3 rebounds; Jonathan Joseph — 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; Jonathan Cisse — 7 points, 7 rebounds; Griffin Hebert — 6 points, 4 rebounds; Nate Cox — 5 points, 4 rebounds
MVP: Javonte Smart (Scotlandville)
Full disclosure — I filled Smart in as the MVP before the game even started. He’s the best player in the state regardless of class for my money and though it was a somewhat tame performance for him, he still finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. He set the tone for Scotlandville scoring 9 of the Hornets’ first 11 points after St. Thomas More took a 7-2 lead to start the game. The 6-foot-4 2018 point guard also scored 10 straight points in the fourth quarter to take Scotlandville’s lead from 46-40 to 56-43.
Play Of The Game: Javonte Smart Alley-Oop (Scotlandville)
Scotlandville was beginning to put the game away in the fourth quarter after Smart stopped on a dime and drained a pretty jumper, then sunk two free throws on the next possession to make it 52-43. Miscommunication by STM led to a steal by 2017 G Levi Lewis, who threw it ahead to 2017 PG Jaylen Hawkins, who threw it off the backboard for a big dunk by Smart. The Hornets went up by 11 after the flush with under two minutes to go and the game was officially over.
Best Offensive Performance: Javonte Smart (Scotlandville)
Guess who? Smart was actually cold from beyond the arc going 1-of-5 but was still 9-of-16 overall while going 5-of-5 from the stripe. He did his best work off the dribble blowing by defenders in both fast break and half court situations and finished with both hands on multiple occasions. Smart also created offense for his teammates with a handful of precise passes and although STM did a good job of containing him for stretches, there just isn’t much anyone can do when he decides to get a bucket.
Best Defensive Performance: Jonathan Joseph (St. Thomas More)
2017 PG Jonathan Joseph was handed the task of slowing down Smart and did a good job for much of the game. He helped hold Smart over 4 points under his 28.6 average and was attached at the hip of the 5-star recruit throughout the third quarter when STM made its biggest run of the game. Joseph certainly got a good amount of help from his teammates as they threw double and sometimes triple teams at Smart but he was the primary defender.
Best Intangibles: Jude Joseph (St. Thomas More)
St. Thomas More came out swinging against Scotlandville and 2018 PG Jude Joseph was the tone-setter. He scored 7 of the Cougars’ first 9 points in a 13-point performance and also did a solid job on the defensive end of the floor.
Best Under-The-Radar Performance: Jaylen Hawkins (Scotlandville)
Hawkins will play a critical role for Scotlandville this season as teams continue to load up on attempting to contain Smart. The 2017 PG is the Hornets’ next-best ball handler behind Smart and he controls the offense when teams send multiple players at Scotlandville’s top recruit. Hawkins had 10 points with 3 assists against St. Thomas More showing off his ability to shoot from range, get to the rim and find teammates for open looks.
Best Underclassmen: Reece Beekman (Scotlandville)
10 players played the vast majority of the minutes Thursday night and Beekman was in that number. The 6-foot 2020 guard was the only underclassmen to get significant playing time and played really well for the Hornets. He knocked down a pair of big 3-pointers and finished the opportunities he got around the rim to finish with 10 points plus 5 rebounds with 3 assists.
Best X-Factor: Lamarq Williams (Scotlandville)
Williams was the unsung hero for Scotlandville and was by far the best big man in the matchup. The 6-foot-5 2017 forward provided the muscle for the Hornets leading the game in rebounds with 12 and he was also Scotlandville’s second-leading scorer with 12. He showed off some good footwork in the post that led to sweet hook shots and also gave up his body taking two charges in the game.
Best Coaching Decision/Strategy: Danny Broussard (St. Thomas More)
There isn’t really a way to ensure Smart won’t “get his” but Broussard did about as good a job as you can do. He sent a bevy of players at Smart for much of the game and sometimes triple-teamed the 5-star prospect to get the ball out of his hands. The strategy paid big dividends particularly in the third quarter when the Cougars chopped a halftime deficit from 36-20 to 42-35. Smart scored just two points in the third quarter and STM was only down 46-40 early in the fourth quarter before Scotlandville pulled away.
Best Story To Watch Moving Forward: Scotlandville’s Depth — Or Lack Thereof
Any team with Smart on it is going to be a championship contender but Scotlandville only played five players Thursday against St. Thomas More. 2017 G Malik Williams appeared to be out with an injury and that will give the Hornets a bit more depth but no one outside the starting lineup even came out of their warm ups on Thursday. Scotlandville’s starting 5 is strong enough to carry them through the regular season without many hiccups but the wear and tear could play a factor for them once the playoffs arrive.