Five Takeaways from GW vs. Overland
Another thriller for Overland
Overland has started out the season with a strong schedule that’ll have them battle-tested come conference time. They’ve had tough and close games against Regis, a game they could’ve won against the top team in the state, Rock Canyon and now find themselves at 0-3 as they fell in a nail-biting 56-58 finish to GW. Overland must find ways to string along four complete quarters and finish off games if they plan on making the playoffs this year. With a few tweaks and had a couple balls bounced their way, specifically in the fourth quarter, they could easily find themselves at 2-1. Finish, finish, finish.
Daijon Smith shows up
After coming off a home-game where Rock Canyon barely escaped against the Trailblazers in which Smith finished with only a point, he felt as if he needed to be more aggressive to give his team a better opportunity to win. The Senior followed that game up with 15 points. He looked aggressive as he got to the rim and finished, created for others and played with high intensity on the defensive end of the court as well. There was also a Sports Center top 10 worthy play early in the first quarter that brought the crowd to its feet. Maybe this performance jumpstarts him for the rest of the year as I expect the Trailblazers to turn things around, and soon.
Tre Pierce had a huge game
Saying that Tre Pierce had himself quite the game is an understatement. The big man finished with a stat-line of 14 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks which will be in the running for player of the week honors in the state. If he wasn’t scoring the basketball, he was making sure the other team couldn’t. His seven blocks showcased why he’s one of the best rim protectors in Colorado and that’s not counting how many other shots he changed at the rim. He was aggressive offensively and even found a mid-range stroke that kept the defense honest. Pierce saw his stock go up with a solid game against a stingy defense.
Huge 3rd quarter for GW
At the half, GW was down 19-31 with momentum siding with the Trailblazers. They had only made one three-pointer, didn’t use their side to get to the rim and appeared rattled by the stiff zone. But, a strong third quarter push secured the victory for the Patriots. The Patriots outscored the Trailblazers 22-13 and finished out the quarter only down by three points. They penetrated the defense, made adjustments off the bench and also placed Tre Pierce at the high post in the zone where he found his rhythm knocking down multiple mid-range jump shots and Xavier Cooper looked as if he realized that he couldn’t be stopped at the rim. The third quarter is where the Patriots made their push.
George Overcomes Adversity
George started the game out very slow and found themselves in a hole at the half before reeling off a strong third quarter push and securing the win in the 4th quarter. George missed countless free-throws, turned the ball over often and finished with only one three-pointer on the night. But, what stood out most is with their two best players on the bench to close the game, they found a way.
Jon’il Fugett couldn’t get himself going offensively but applied pressure on defense which makes him one of the best on-ball defenders in the state and provided points in transition. His aggressiveness on the defensive end got him in foul trouble early and the Trailblazer ball-handlers did a good job of attacking. In the fourth quarter, him along with Tre Pierce fouled out of the game leaving the Patriots without their two best players but the Patriots found a way to secure the win with some very strong bench play. Finishing off games and having a go to player is hard enough but GW did it without two of their starters. This type of play showcases how deep this squad is and why they’ll be ready come playoffs.