Ten Best: Lafayette Central Catholic vs. Gary 21st Century
Gary 21st Century got off to a quick 6-0 lead but that was the only thing that they had going for them in the game. Lafayette Central Catholic went on a 14-2 run to end the quarter and stretched that…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingGary 21st Century got off to a quick 6-0 lead but that was the only thing that they had going for them in the game. Lafayette Central Catholic went on a 14-2 run to end the quarter and stretched that lead to 29-22 at the half.
LCC would continue to dominate by scoring 48 second half points to take the 77-59 victory. 21st Century was 4-of-28 from behind the arc and that really hurt them in the game not being able to convert their open shots.
Leading scorers: LCC: Carson Barrett 21, Ben Tharp 19. 21st Century: DeAndre Gholston 20, Johnell Davis 18.
Leading rebounders: LCC: Carson Barrett 8, Ben Tharp 7. 21st Century: DeAndre Gholston 14.
MVP: Carson Barrett (LCC)
Barrett did it all for LCC in this one finishing with a 21 point performance and adding in eight rebounds and six assists. Barrett is just a freshman but he pretty much controls the offense and it runs through him. He’s a long, tall guard who isn’t very fast but super quick. He is tough to defend since he’s so strong and he presents so many matchup problems.
Best offensive performance: DeAndre Gholston (21st Century)
Gholston struggled a bit but still poured in 20 points. He carried his team and kept getting to the rim and although he didn’t finish all the time he still was getting good looks. He really struggled from behind the arc going 0-of-5 but inside the arc he was 9-of-15. Gholston played well and the Kent State commit should be even better next year.
Best defensive performance: Ben Tharp (LCC)
Tharp was matched up on Gholston and it should have been a huge mismatch but he handled it very well. He allowed 20 points but that came on 20 shots. Tharp game up three inches of height but he handled it well and bodied him up every time and didn’t let Gholston make anything easy.
Play of the Game: LCC hits their free throws down the stretch
LCC didn’t have one play that defined their win but they did hit a ton of free throws down the stretch to seal the game. They had 28 more free throw attempts than 21st Century.
Best off-the-bench performance: Trevor Powers (LCC)
Powers was really good off the bench as he scored six points and gained a few assists with some slick passes. He played really good defense as he was able to stay in front of his man at all times and never let his man get an open look. With Denhart in foul trouble Powers actually played quite a bit and really made an impact.
Best underclassman: Carson Barrett (LCC)
Barrett was unbelievable in this one scoring at will and taking his opponent to the hole every time. He was good on defense as well and really made his name known. To me he seemed like the
Best under-the-radar performance: Avery Denhart (LCC)
Denhart didn’t play much because he was in foul trouble but when he was in he really impacted the game. He ended the game with 10 points with three rebounds and really had an impact since he is able to post up and use his length as a guard to create mismatches he is really a solid piece to have.
Best rebounder: DeAndre Gholston (21st Century)
Gholston had 14 rebounds and just came away with everything that bounced off the rim his direction. He is really active on the boards and crashes them everytime. He is aggressive when going up and he has great hands that stick to the ball.
Best shooter: Johnell Davis (21st Century)
Davis hit a ton of midrange jumpers in this one. He was 7-of-16 from the floor but 1-of-5 from behind the arc he made a load of jumpers late in the game though to lead his team back from a 20 point deficit. Davis has a nice high release and was a bit flustered early in the game but once he started to make a few he made everything he shot.
Best takeaway: LCC will move on to the state finals for the first year since 2003 where they won 68-64 over Southwestern (Shelbyville). LCC will face off with Tindley a very good team with two scoring guard who can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the state. LCC will have to play their game and stay fundamental if they want to have a chance to take home to title.