Five Takeaways: Shroder at Purcell Marian
In what was truly a game of runs, it was the Cavaliers of Purcell Marian who had the final run as they ran away with a 77-58 home victory over the Shroder Jaguars Saturday night. The Cavaliers held a 52-46 lead going into the last frame and just couldn’t seem to shake the gamed Jaguars. But Coach Scott Kerr’s squad won the fourth by a score of 25-12, and in turn put Shroder away for good.
For the Cavaliers forward Bryan Warah was the man of the evening. The 6’6 junior finished with a game high 31 points and was a force in the paint. Another positive for the young big was the fact that he regularly knocked down free-throws all evening. It was a breakout performance for Bryan. Junior forward Javonta Lyons finished with 13 while 2018-point man Ace Taylor finished with 11. Senior Brandon Doss paced the Jaguars with 13 points and made some exceptional plays on the defense end.
Here are the five takeaways from Saturday nights match-up.
Five Takeaways: Shroder at Purcell
- You could feel the intensity in the air from the tip as the Cavaliers were looking for revenge against the Jaguars. Purcell went 0-2 against Coach Will Johnson squad last season, including a loss in the playoffs. You could tell that Purcell did not forget that.
- Both teams were using pressing defenses for most of the evening, but it was Purcell who handled the pressure better. The Jaguars continued throughout the evening to dribble themselves into situations where the Cavs could use the sideline as a third defender for traps. This lead to many errant passes, a few of which went into the stands.
- 2020 forward Nekhi Smith (PHO #32) had a rough evening for Shroder. By my account he had two field goals, but his struggles really came on the defensive end. The sophomore ended up fouling out in the 4th quarter with many of those fouls coming on perimeter defensive plays.
- Once 2020 guard Jared Baldock (PHO #67) becomes eligible the Cavaliers will have the shooter they need to really stretch the defense. Last year for Finneytown Baldock shot close to 35% from three. And playing with guys like the before mentioned Taylor and Alex Dotson (2019 PHO #80), Jared should get plenty of open looks. His return will also give Coach Kerr another ball-handler and play-maker as well.
- The refereeing in this game was a major factor, and that should not be the case. There many questionable calls and rules misinterpretations throughout the evening that really disrupted the game. And this is coming from an OHSAA certified referee.