Ten Best: Mount Vernon (45) at Waverly-Shell Rock (53)
Austin Phyfe was dominant for W-SR, scoring a game-high 21 on 7-10 shooting Class 3A No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock 53, No. 9 Mount Vernon 45 Foul trouble and a smothering Waverly-Shell Rock defense prevented Mount Vernon star Austin Ash from…
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Continue ReadingClass 3A No. 1 Waverly-Shell Rock 53, No. 9 Mount Vernon 45
Foul trouble and a smothering Waverly-Shell Rock defense prevented Mount Vernon star Austin Ash from ever getting going, and the Go-Hawks led wire-to-wire in a 53-45 win in the final game before the holiday break.
Class 3A’s top ranked team, Waverly-Shell Rock used a mixture of different players to faceguard Ash for a majority of the evening, and the Mustangs’ star struggled to get anything going offensively, limiting what Mount Vernon could do. W-SR’s own star, big man Austin Phyfe, had no such issues. The 6-9 Northern Iowa commit was his usual dominant self on both ends of the floor, scoring a game-high 21 points on just 10 field goal attempts, while also pulling down 12 rebounds.
Waverly-Shell Rock heads into the break with the No. 1 ranking and a 7-0 record. They were led by Phyfe, with his aforementioned 21 points and 12 rebounds. John Stensland added 14 points for the Go-Hawks. Drew Adams led No. 9 Mount Vernon (5-2) with 13 points. Nick Leopold added 12, and Austin Ash had just 11 points, 10 below his season average.
Scoring
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Mount Vernon | 8 | 2 | 20 | 15 | 45 |
Waverly-Shell Rock | 10 | 11 | 18 | 14 | 53 |
Mount Vernon: Drew Adams 13, Nick Leopold 12, Austin Ash 11, Blake Booth 5, Zackary Krogmann 4
Waverly-Shell Rock: Austin Phyfe 21, John Stensland 14, Jacob Bahe 4, Joey McNally 4, Luke Velky 3, Jack Seward 3, Jackson Little 2, Jordan Gayer 2
MVP: Austin Phyfe (Waverly-Shell Rock)
The Northern Iowa commit was 7-10 from the floor and a perfect 7-7 from the line en route to his 21 points and 12 rebounds. He scores in a variety of ways, runs some point for the Go-Hawks and is an imposing force in the middle of their defense. He was quietly dominant all night.
Play of the game: Austin Phyfe dunks for the first two of the game
After the two teams combined to go scoreless for the first three minutes of action, Phyfe took the lid off the basket with a powerful dunk. He caught the ball on the right block, made a quick drop step and threw down a big dunk that got the W-SR student section going and set the tone for the rest of the night.
Best offensive performance: Austin Phyfe (Waverly-Shell Rock)
Want to know how dominant and efficient Phyfe has been this season? He scored 21 points on 7-10 shooting in this game, and his shooting percentage for the season is going to DROP. Of course it helps being 6-9 and physical, but Phyfe is a highly skilled offensive player with good footwork and touch around the basket. The first score of the game was a beautiful post feed to Phyfe, who used a very quick drop step and elevated into a powerful dunk. He scored on post ups, off of dump off passes, and even showed the ability to put the ball on the floor from the top of the key and score on his own penetration. The big man will be the next in a line of solid Northern Iowa big men when he gets on campus next fall.
Best defensive performance: Waverly-Shell Rock
The Go-Hawks had a game plan of faceguarding Austin Ash and letting the rest of the team beat them, and it worked to perfection. They held Mount Vernon to just 3-18 shooting in the first half, and the Mustangs shot just 15-47 from the floor for the game (31.9%). It was a true team effort defensively for W-SR, showing why they are one of, if not the best, teams in Class 3A.
Best underclassman: Luke Velky (Waverly-Shell Rock)
Velky was one of the Go-Hawks who drew the Ash assignment on defense and he did a very nice job whenever he was faceguarding him. An athletic guard who can get to the rim, he doesn’t force anything, taking what is given to him by the defense. He keeps the ball moving on the offensive end, and proved to be a capable two-way player.
Best rebounder: Austin Phyfe (Waverly-Shell Rock)
Phyfe pulled down 12 rebounds, seven more than any other player had. He makes good contact on his box outs, has soft hands and was just significantly bigger than anyone else on the floor.
Best shooter: Austin Ash (Mount Vernon)
Ash, who will be a preferred walk-on at Iowa, has become known as one of the state’s best shooters. He went 3-5 from the arc in this contest, knocking down three second half 3s to keep the Mustangs within striking distance. He struggled to score around the rim, which is why his overall numbers (4-13) don’t look great, but when he had open looks from the arc, he knocked them down like he usually does.
Best player off the bench: Mosai Newsom (Waverly-Shell Rock)
Newsom is a raw, but very athletic, young big man who provides an interior presence both on the defensive end and on the glass for the Go-Hawks. The 6-5 sophomore pulled down three rebounds and had an assist in the game, and he made things difficult for the Mustangs on the interior whenever Phyfe was on the bench. He runs the floor very well, showed the ability to handle the ball a bit and is a solid passer. Lots of upside in this young big.
Mount Vernon story to watch moving forward: Can they find ways to get Ash more involved against top-tier talent?
This was the first game in which the Mustangs’ star Austin Ash really wasn’t able to get into the flow of the offense, partially because of foul trouble, and partially because of the defense W-SR played on him. Mount Vernon needs him to score in bunches, and he struggled to do so in this game. They need to find ways to free up some open looks for him, which should in turn help open up the rest of the floor for his teammates.
Waverly-Shell Rock story to watch moving forward: W-SR’s different lineups
The lineup that really intrigued me, but wasn’t on the floor for very long, had both Phyfe and Newsom on the floor at the same time. It gives W-SR a lot of size, and with either player’s ability to pass the ball, it looks like a lineup that could work. As Newsom continues to get more involved with this Go-Hawks group, and continues to develop his skill set, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this bigger lineup on the floor more often to almost completely eliminate the paint for opposing teams.