Preview: SVSM v. Garfield Heights
On Thursday the Saint Vincent-Saint Mary Fighting Irish travel to Garfield Heights for a key league matchup to take on the Bulldogs.
In the most recent Cleveland.com rankings, Garfield Heights remains as the number one ranked team in Cleveland with a 6-0 record. The Bulldogs have been on an offensive tear averaging 91 points per game.
The main attraction of Garfield Heights is junior Alonzo Gaffney. The 6’9 forward has been drawing interest from major programs throughout the country. Gaffney has offers from Michigan State, Ohio State, Florida, Georgetown, Iowa, Kansas, Penn State, Pitt, and Louisville (247sports). He is averaging 19.5 points per game, 12 rebounds per game, and 6 blocks per game.
Playing alongside Gaffney is highly touted freshman Demetrius “Meechie” Johnson, Donavan Forte and Brison Waller. Johnson has had himself quite the year so far, including a 50-point performance against Benedictine. Waller has offers from Pitt, Kansas State, and Miami of Ohio (247sports). Garfield Height’s center, Forte is committed to Jacksonville.
Saint Vincent-Saint Mary is off to a rocky start thus far with a 3-2 record. The Fighting Irish are coming off a solid win against Glenville to put them above .500.
The thing that STVM does very well is their aggressive defense and that is led by Chris Painter. Painter and teammate Lunden Mcday will have a lot of responsibility this year due to a large senior class last season. Mcday is a junior as well and has one offer from Buffalo. Freshman guard Seth Wilson has been stepping into a large role as well. Wilson has great body control driving to the hoop and projects as a solid ball handler at the next level.
This is a highly anticipated game in the Cleveland area. The matchup I am looking forward to is Seth Wilson and Demetrius Johnson. These are two of the top players in all of Ohio.
The advantage Garfield Heights has is their height, they tower over STVM. The Bulldogs have three players that are 6’7 or taller. STVM tallest player stands at 6’4. If the Fighting Irish wants a chance at winning this game they need to help out down low.
I predict Garfield Heights will be using their height right from the start of the game and it will be too much for the Fighting Irish. The Bulldogs should take care of this one easily but they should not take this STVM team lightly.