10 Best: #3 LC Bird vs. #13 John Marshall
In a highly anticipated matchup between two of the best public schools in the Richmond area, “The Courtroom” at John Marshall was Standing Room Only for the final game of the “Coaches for Cure” event presented by Team Loaded. With…
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Continue ReadingIn a highly anticipated matchup between two of the best public schools in the Richmond area, “The Courtroom” at John Marshall was Standing Room Only for the final game of the “Coaches for Cure” event presented by Team Loaded. With multiple high major division one coaches in attendance, along with numerous other coaches and national scouts, the atmosphere was electric for the final game. A big rivalry, one where there’s no secret the two teams don’t like each other, things were chippy early, with multiple technical fouls being called to keep order. The game got off to a slow start with both teams feeling each other out, but by the end of the first quarter it got to the track meet we all expected. The experience of LC Bird, who has five seniors in their top six to just two for John Marshall, was evident early as they forced the Justices into a lot of turnovers and took advantage of sloppy ball handling. However, Marshall fought their way back in the second quarter to cut the lead to six at one point, and headed into halftime only trailing by nine on their home floor. As the second half began, the experience of Bird showed once more as they forced three quick turnovers and opened the half on a 9-0 run. There was no looking back after that, as the Skyhawks opened it up and never looked back, getting a big 87-67 road win to improve to 16-1 on the season. Here’s a look at the recap.
MVP | Cam Henry | LC Bird ’17
Henry, who’s become the heir to last year’s breakout performer and 5A State Player of the Year Charles Falden, took advantage of every mismatch opportunity he got throughout the game. A 6’4” utility player that can play the 1-4, he was often guarded by one of John Marshall’s three big men they start, and when he saw it he took advantage. Using his quickness off the bounce, Henry attacked those players and broke down the defense with ease, leaving JM scrambling all game. He picked up his first offer from D2 Virginia Union after finishing with a game high 25 points.
Play of the Game
There wasn’t one singular play, but a string of three plays to start the third quarter by LC Bird point guard Pinky Wiley that opened it up for the Skyhawks. Coming out of the half, Wiley got them into a set where they missed the shot, but the 5’11” lead guard got a left handed tip in over 6’5” Greg Jones of John Marshall. On the ensuing play, Wiley jumped the passing lane and hit an Jaylen Dillard for three. On the very next play, he stripped sophomore Levar Allen and coasted in for a layup. In less than one minute, Wiley had contributed to two turnovers and seven points, and opened LC Bird’s lead from nine to 16.
Best Offensive Performer | Cam Henry | LC Bird ’17
We mentioned the game high 25 points, but his efficiency and versatility on the offensive end was phenomenal. In the first half, Henry led all scorers with 12 points, and didn’t miss a shot going 4-for-4 from the field, 2-for-2 from deep and 2-for-2 from the line. He obviously couldn’t keep that pace up, and he missed his first three shots of the second half, but quickly turned it around and continued to take advantage of mismatches. He also pitched in three rebounds and three assists with his 25 points.
Best Defensive Performer | Jaylen Dillard | LC Bird ’17
Known as a shot making specialist, Dillard showed that he could be labeled as a “3 and D” kind of kid, as he strapped up the young John Marshall backcourt and gave them trouble from the very beginning. Literally. In John Marshall’s first possession, Dillard plucked sophomore Levar Allen on a crossover, his first of seven turnovers in the first half. It may not be what he’s known for, but Dillard showed that he won’t back down from anyone on either end.
Best Guy off the Bench | Jyles Webster | LC Bird ’17
Webster seems to win this award in every write up for LC Bird, and what a luxury it is for Head Coach Troy Manns to have a scholarship level post player to come off the bench. With junior Tyrek Williams getting into early foul trouble, Webster played a considerable number of minutes early and took advantage of it. The 6’6” bruiser was great defensively and on the glass, and he finished a ton of plays at the basket where his guards drew attention and dumped it off. He finished with an impressive 17 points and pitched in four rebounds against JM’s huge front line.
Best Intangibles | Pinky Wiley | LC Bird ’17
Throw the stat lines out, because all this kid cares about is winning basketball games. On both ends of the floor, Wiley showed tremendous instincts, jumping passing lanes for steals, rotating over for help and creating for his teammates the whole game. The three possessions to start the third quarter were impressive, but the way that he controlled the tempo and led his team, things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, were one of the big reasons that LC Bird was able to pull away late. He finished with 12 points, 9 assists and four rebounds.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance | Jaylen Dillard | LC Bird ’17
Another guy that has won this recognition multiple times, Dillard is having a huge year for LC Bird and it continued Saturday night. We mentioned his defensive performance on John Marshall point guard Levar Allen, but how about 18 second half points on 5-for-7 shooting from deep? After just two points in the first half, the Skyhawks made it a priority to get Dillard some easy looks offensively and he took advantage of them. The sniper also picked up his first offer from D2 Livingstone College.
Best Underclassman | Isaiah Todd | John Marshall ’20
Todd has won this award in every John Marshall write up we’ve done, and Saturday was perhaps his best performance. In front of at least four high major coaches, the lengthy 6’10” freshman showed why many are considering him a future pro despite his young age. He showed great touch from 15-18 feet, using his size to shoot over defenders and showing great form and body control on his fadeaway. He competed down low, finished above the rim and played hard until the buzzer even when they were getting blown out. He finished with an impressive 20 points and 7 rebounds, not bad for a freshman in one of the biggest rivalry games in the 804.
Best Rebounder | Greg Jones | John Marshall ’17
The Skyhawks did a good job containing the JMU commit and John Marshall’s leading scorer to just 14 points, but anyone who knows Jones knows that just because he wasn’t getting the looks he wanted doesn’t mean he stopped competing. The 6’6” warrior of a forward finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, and likely would have had plenty more if LC Bird didn’t shoot so well from the field.
Best Aspect of the Environment
Talk about the city shutting down, everyone in Richmond had been talking about this game since the calendar turned 2017. Northside city school of John Marshall vs. the Southside county school of LC Bird, with anywhere from 8-10 scholarship level players on the floor at all times. As said before, the college coaches and national scouting services brought an extra bit of flavor to the table, but the passion of the typical fan was out of this world. It was a hard fought and entertaining game, and both of these teams will be better off moving forward because of this late season matchup.