Notebook: Wooden Classic
The annual Wooden Classic hosted by Martinsville takes place on Saturday and we were there for the first round. Two good matchups started the day off as undefeated Lafayette Jefferson takes on Alex Hemenway and the Castle Knights. The hosts drew Mt. Vernon who have a host of shooters on their team this year. Below is my recap of the first round games.
Game 1: Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 59, Martinsville 54
Martinsville and Mount Vernon opened the 2017 Wooden Classic and it was a great opening game for the game. Both teams are solid this year and both have kids that played really well. Martinsville trailed by eight at the half but held Mt. Vernon scoreless until a three with 1:20 left in the third extended their lead to six. Mt. Vernon wouldn’t let Martinsville within four the rest of the game despite Martinsville getting good open looks. Mt. Vernon shot the ball really well making 11 three-pointers.
Top Performers:
Peyton Meadors | Mt. Vernon | 2019 6’4 SG – 16 points
Reid Staggs | Martinsville | 2019 5’10 PG – 12 points
Tyler Bostic | Mt. Vernon | 2018 5’6 PG – 10 points
Tyler Stead | Martinsville | 2019 6’5 PF – 10 points, 5 rebounds
Game 2: Castle 55, Lafayette Jefferson 51 OT
Lafayette Jefferson got out to a huge start leading 11-0 until a Castle three-pointer gave them their first points with just over a minute to go in the first quarter. Castle then switched to a zone through the second and third quarters. At the end of the third it was a low scoring affair, 30-27 in favor of Lafayette Jefferson. In the last four minutes of the fourth it was a different story as both teams traded buckets and Castle tied it at the buzzer to send it to overtime. In overtime, it was all Castle as they hit clutch free throws and Lafayette Jefferson couldn’t match them.
Top Performers:
James Burns | Jefferson | 2018 6’4 SF – 23 points, 14 rebounds, 5 blocks
Alex Hemenway | Castle | 2019 6’4 SG – 15 points, 8 rebounds
Avery Beaver | Jefferson | 2020 5’10 SG – 14 points
Max Grimes | Jefferson | 2021 5’11 PG – 10 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists