Ten Best: Culver Academy at West Lafayette
Game Recap: Culver Academy at West Lafayette Final Score: Culver Academy 60 – West Lafayette 33 The first quarter of this game was a tease. West Lafayette was making things difficult for Culver and the game was being played at…
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Continue ReadingGame Recap: Culver Academy at West Lafayette
Final Score: Culver Academy 60 – West Lafayette 33
The first quarter of this game was a tease. West Lafayette was making things difficult for Culver and the game was being played at a very high level on both ends. Every possession seemed to matter and the atmosphere was like a postseason matchup. West Lafayette took a 14-12 lead into the second quarter behind 7 points from Charlie Nycz. Coming out in the second quarter, it was much of the same on both ends. Nycz led all scorers at the half with 10 points and Craig had 6 points for Culver Academy. Culver Academy was up 23-22 at the break.
The third quarter left little to be remembered from the first half as Culver completely dominated West Lafayette. Ethan Brittain-Watts began to really hurt the West Lafayette defense with his court vision and passing ability. Culver outscored West Lafayette 20-6 in the third quarter to take a 43-28 lead into the final quarter.
All life seemed to be sucked out of West Lafayette as they struggled to get anything going. Nycz was held scoreless in the second half and Karlaftis and Mbongo fell into the flow of the game. Craig and Galloway put together strong performances in the second half for Culver to help them grab the win 60-33 over West Lafayette. Culver outscored West Lafayette 37-11 in the second half of this game.
MVP: Deontae Craig (Culver Academy)
Deontae Craig had a strong performance on the offensive end of the floor in a game that really never got into any rhythm. Craig was effective around the basket and seemed to find openings all night in the middle of the West Lafayette zone. Craig finished with 14 points (5-7 2FG and 4-10 FT), 7 rebounds (4 defensive and 3 offensive), 1 steal, and 1 assist. This game didn’t produce any super outstanding performances but Deontae paced Culver to their win in the second half.
Best Offensive Performance: Jamarrio Rule (Culver Academy)
Jamarrio Rule did most of his damage in the second half but he made some tough baskets around the rim off of some strong moves. Rule finished with 10 points (5-7 2FG), 6 rebounds (5 defensive and 2 offensive), 3 assists, and 1 block. Rule made some strong interior passes to Craig in the middle of the zone for easy baskets. He also made some strong post moves with finishes over high hands to help Culver extend their lead. He was effective and efficient from the floor.
Best Defensive Performance: Ethan Brittain-Watts (Culver Academy)
Ethan Brittain-Watts shut Charlie Nycz down after his hot start in the first quarter. Brittain-Watts caused multiple live ball turnovers and really turned up the defensive pressure tonight. Ethan finished with 2 points (0-1 2FG, 0-2 3FG, and 2-4 FT), 6 defensive rebounds, a game high 6 assists, and a game high 4 steals. His activity on the defensive end of the floor allowed him to impact the game in a positive manner even on an off offensive night for him. Ethan can score with the best of them but wasn’t asked to do so tonight against the zone so he found other ways to impact the game.
Best Under-The-Radar Performance: Charlie Nycz (West Lafayette)
Charlie was red hot at the start of this game and paced West Lafayette to their early lead. Although he fell out of the spotlight as the game went on, he still pieced together a solid game on a gloomy night for West Lafayette. Nycz finished with a team high 10 points (2-3 2FG and 2-5 3FG), 4 rebounds (3 defensive and 1 offensive), 2 assists, and 1 steal. Charlie was the only player that seemed to take the game personally tonight and put forth any effort when Culver was pulling away.
Best Player Off-The-Bench: Trey Galloway (Culver Academy)
Trey Galloway put up a fight for the MVP nod in this game even off the bench. The freshman wing was strong in all aspects and his aggressiveness off-the-bench helped pace Culver in the second half of this game. Galloway finished with 12 points (1-2 2FG, 3-4 3FG, and 1-2 FT), 7 rebounds (4 defensive and 3 offensive), 4 assists, and 2 steals. He picked up the slack in the scoring column due to the off-shooting night from a few other guys and attacked the glass on both ends of the floor well.
Best Passer: Ethan Brittain-Watts (Culver Academy)
Ethan Brittain-Watts is the unsung hero for Culver Academy in this game. Both teams really struggled to get and make open shots but Ethan did his best as the point guard to continually find open teammates. Had his team shot better from the floor, Ethan could have easily racked up double digit assists in a hurry. He finished with a game high 6 assists and many of his passes turned into hockey-assists. He wasn’t forcing on the offensive end of the floor and he made the smart and open pass time and time again. His court vision is superb for a sophomore point guard.
Best Intangibles: Matt Krause (West Lafayette)
Krause was strong on the glass early in this game and started to show his scoring ability late in this one. Kruase and Nycz were the two bright spots in an otherwise abysmal game for West Lafayette. Krause finished with 6 points (1-4 2FG, 1-3 3FG, and 1-1 FT), a team high 7 rebounds (5 defensive and 2 offensive), and 1 assist. Krause showed ownership and leadership capabilities as he did his best to do the little things to keep West Lafayette in striking distance.
Best Rebounder: Ignas Masiulionis (Culver Academy)
Ignas struggled to get himself going on the offensive floor all night long but that didn’t stop him from attacking the defensive glass. Ignas used his athleticism and strength to high point rebounds and bring them down with grace. Ignas finished with 8 points (1-2 2FG and 2-7 3FG), a game high 10 rebounds (all defensive), 2 assists, and 1 steal. Ignas is typically a top point man for his team but tonight he was the top rebounder.
Best Underclassmen: Ethan Brittain-Watts, Trey Galloway, and Deontae Craig (Culver Academy)
Culver was paced by three underclassmen tonight. Starting point guard Ethan Brittain-Watts showed his court vision and ability to influence the game in other ways than scoring. Trey Galloway did a little bit of everything for the Eagles off-the-bench. Deontae Craig paced Culver Academy with his scoring and slashing ability on the offensive end. All three of these players put together good performances in their own right and are the future of this basketball program.
Biggest Takeaway: Culver Dominates Second Half
Culver came out and had to struggle through the slow-paced, half court, grind it out game that West Lafayette turned the first half into. After the half, Culver completely dominated this game. Culver’s sophomore trio dominated the West Lafayette zone and really helped Culver win in an ugly game. Neither team shot particularly well from the floor and both were abysmal from the free throw line but the second half was dominated by Culver.