10 Best: Monacan vs. Eastern View
In a rematch of last year’s consolation round of the regionals that Eastern View came away victorious, the reigning 4A State Champion Chiefs of Monacan traveled to Culpeper County to take on Eastern View in the first round of the 4A…
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Continue ReadingIn a rematch of last year’s consolation round of the regionals that Eastern View came away victorious, the reigning 4A State Champion Chiefs of Monacan traveled to Culpeper County to take on Eastern View in the first round of the 4A East Regionals with a spot in states on the line. With both teams coming into the season as favorites, it wasn’t expected for these two to meet this early, but after Monacan was upset by Hanover in the Conference 20 Championship we got an intriguing first round match up.
The Chiefs came out hot on the road with something to prove, and jumped out to a quick lead and were up 22-14 in the first quarter. Eastern View got it going in the second half behind the play of seniors Anias Saunder, Cam Norman and Justin Pollard, and seemed to get into their game plan by speeding up Monacan and forcing turnovers. They cut the deficit to one and headed into halftime trailing 39-38.
Monacan made the necessary adjustments out of halftime, and were taking much better care of the ball and controlling the tempo. The senior point guard matchup of Alden Parham of Monacan and Anias Saunders of Eastern View lived up to the bill, as they battled in the second half with both refusing to back down. The teams traded leads a couple of times early in the fourth quarter, with Monacan grabbing a four point lead midway through the fourth. Despite a lot of fight and effort, Eastern View simply could not make enough plays down the stretch, and Monacan took care of the basketball and made free throws down the stretch to win 70-64 and punch their ticket to their second straight state tournament.
Here’s more takeaways from the game.
MVP | Greg “Alden” Parham | Monacan ’17
What more can you ask from your senior leader, only ball handler and reigning state player of the year? Parham controlled the tempo against an EV team that likes to run, and he did a good job of keeping his teammates involved while also taking over and hitting shots whenever they needed him to. He was consistent, clutch and was hands down the best player on the floor, at least for this night.
Play of the Game
Usually this is reserved for a highlight reel dunk or a big shot late in the game, but this time it’s going to the fundamental and clutch FREE THROWS of Monacan senior Cameron Sostre. The senior forward stepped to the line with 37 seconds left and Monacan clinging to a 66-64 lead after an EV three-pointer and buried BOTH of them. It capped off a clutch performance from the senior that we’ll talk more about soon.
Best Offensive Performer | Greg “Alden” Parham | Monacan ’17
We talked about his impact, now let’s break it down statistically. Parham finished with a game high 27 points for the Chiefs and also pitched in seven rebounds and six assists. The 6’3” guard used his height to cause mismatches, as the Cyclones had to continually switch defenders because they either got in foul trouble or were being exploited. Of his 27 points, 15 came in the second half, including a couple of big shots down the stretch to keep a fighting EV team away from a comeback.
Best Defensive Performer | TreJvon McFail | Monacan ’17
McFail did not do much offensively for the Chiefs, but his defense was a huge lift for them throughout the game. The 6’5” wing is the closest thing to a big man that they have, and he’s the perfect guy to have in the bottom of your zone. He rebounded efficiently, played good help defense and despite getting caught gambling a few times he jumped passing lanes for steals. He had nine rebounds on the night, eight of which were defensive, and he chipped in four steals and three blocks as well.
Best Guy off the Bench | Nystil Wilson | Monacan ’18
The shooter came off the bench hot, hitting two threes early and scoring 10 points in the first half in limited minutes. While he didn’t shoot it as well or as much in the second half, his presence on the floor made Eastern View shade toward him and they couldn’t help off him, allowing Parham to attack the basket and get in the lane. He finished with 12 points and three rebounds, and was often their secondary ball handler as well.
Best Intangibles | Anias Saunders | Eastern View ’17
The Conference 19 Player of the Year did what he could for the Cyclones, but it simply wasn’t enough at the end of the day. The 6’2” combo guard stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 19 points, 6 rebounds and four assists, a number that should have been higher if they had converted on a few layups and open jumpers. He showed great feel for the game, and did a little bit of everything on both ends for them. He was huge in them taking the lead early in the fourth quarter, after he scored eight points in the third quarter, then opened the fourth with a three-pointer to give EV a 57-55 lead. However, Monacan forced others to make shots late, and the Cyclones simply couldn’t get it done.
Best Under-the-Radar Performer | Justin Pollard | Eastern View ’17
Pollard played like a senior who didn’t want his high school season to end. The 6’1” forward may not be the tallest player, but he’s a bull inside that will do whatever it takes to help his team win. Pollard finished with an impressive 19 points and 9 rebounds, and while the rest of the Cyclones came out flat in the first half he didn’t, as he carried them with 13 points and five rebounds before intermission. Unfortunate ending to his career, but Pollard can hold his head high knowing that he left it all on the floor for his team.
Best Underclassman | Blake Leake | Eastern View ’20
The freshman was thrust into a big game and needed to play important minutes with some EV players in foul trouble, and while he didn’t shoot it well he made little plays that helped his team. The most impressive play he made came with just over four minutes left an the Cyclones trailing by four. Under his own basket, Leake broke free of a box out and ran down a rebound that he had to save before it went out of bounds, and while saving it delivered a dime to Pollard for an easy two. He finished with four assists and three rebounds on the night, and he’s one to keep an eye on for sure moving forward.
Best “Rise to the Occasion” Performer | Cameron Sostre | Monacan ’17
Sostre, an important role player that plays inside and out for Monacan, may not have finished with the most impressive stat line, but his 11 points and six rebounds were key in the Chiefs’ punching their ticket back to states. We mentioned the free throws, but it was an entire fourth quarter where he stepped up and made the right play. In the quarter, he finished with seven points and four rebounds, each one seemingly more important than the next one. With a short handed roster, it was important for someone to step up, and fortunate for Monacan Sostre did just that.
Best Story to Watch Moving Forward
Last season in a wide open 4A, Monacan was also upset in the Conference 20 Championship game, went on to win their first game in regionals and proceed to lose the next two earning the last seed in the 4A State Tournament. They then got hot, and won the next three games, upsetting Lake Taylor in the state championship. After a disappointing loss to Hanover in the Conference Championship, Head Coach RJ Spelsburg kept his guys positive by saying “We’ve been here before.” It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs can have lightning strike twice this season, as they have now punched their ticket back to states.