10 Best: Mt. St. Joseph vs McDonogh
The Mount Saint Joseph Gaels traveled to McDonogh last night for a MIAA A Conference match up. In a game that experienced a plethora of lead changes, the Gaels were able to pull away in the fourth quarter to win by a final score of 58-47.
MVP | Jalen Smith | MSJ ’18
Smith led all scorers with 27 points and maintained complete control of the glass throughout the 32 minutes. The 6’10 Maryland commit took advantage of his size over a much smaller Eagles lineup, collecting the majority of his points in the painted area. Eight of his point came in the final quarter and were crucial to the Gaels as they sealed the victory.
Best Offensive Performance | James Bishop | MSJ ’19
Bishop followed Smith in the scoring column with 23 points of his own. The 6’3 junior can score in bunches very quickly, and that’s what he did in last night’s match up. He hit three three-pointers in the second half to (along with Smith’s big time second half performance) give Mt. St. Joe a comfortable lead as the game winded down. Bishop did a good job of mixing it up and attacking close outs, which resulted in driving lanes to the basket.
Best Defensive Performance | Tyree Myers | MSJ ’18
Myers had the duty of guarding Florida commit Noah Locke for the majority of this contest. Although Locke finished with 21 points, Myers made him work for every shot when he was guarding him. Multiple times, Myers did a perfect job of staying in front and playing vertical when Locke hit him with his effective pump fake. Myers would then rise up when Locke would actually shoot and disrupt his release and cause a miss.
Best Shooter | Noah Locke | McDonogh ’18
Locke could walk into any gym around the country this year and be considered the best shooter right away. Tonight was no different as he rose up in his defender’s face time and time again as he buried jumpshots. His two three’s came in pick-and-roll situations when Smith (6’10) would switch on him. Smith’s length wasn’t enough to force a miss. In fact, both shots hit nothing but the net.
Best Passer | Tyree Myers | MSJ ’18
Myers struggled in the first quarter, but found himself in the second half setting up teammates for open shots. He plays the floor general role for head coach Pat Clatchey on a regular basis and although the Gaels played most of the game in the half court, Myers made a couple of big plays out in transition. One that gave Mt. St. Joe the momentum they needed was when Myers found Smith for an alley oop in the third quarter on a 2-on-1 break.
Best Rebounder | Jalen Smith | MSJ ’18
The Gaels had a distinct size advantage in this match up led by Smith. It didn’t take long for him to impose his will on the offensive glass and converting or drawing fouls. McDonogh is a solid gang rebounding team, but whenever Smith got his paws on the ball on either side of the floor, nobody was taking it from him.
Best Guy Off The Bench | Andre Crawley | MSJ ’21
Bishop and Smith accounted for 50 of the Gael’s 58 points. Freshman guard Andre Crawley was one of the other three players besides those two that scored. Crawley finished with four points, but did a nice job of coming in and running the offense for Coach Clatchey. He also provided nice minutes defensively by pressuring the ball full court and trying to speed up McDonogh on offense.
Best Underclassmen | Jared Billups | McDonogh ’21
Billups finished with seven points for the Eagles off the bench. The 6’4 freshman has responded well to the varsity level after missing the first chunk of the season due to injury. As the second quarter was winding down, Billups set an on-ball screen for Locke and popped to the three-point line. Locke found him after being doubled and Billups buried the shot as the buzzer sounded. He also had a nice take against Smith who contested his lay up as best as he could. The freshman continues to show flashes game by game.
Best Under The Radar Performance | Curtis Jacobs | McDonogh ’20
When you look at the box score and realize Jacobs only finished with four points, you wouldn’t think he had that much of an impact. But the 6’5 forward supplied the physicality in the paint for the Eagles and the two buckets he converted were quite impressive. Both came around the basket avoiding the extended, long arms of Smith where Jacobs used soft his soft touch off the glass.
Best Story Going Forward
With the loss, McDonogh drops to 12-6 overall. Their next four games include: Loyola, John Carroll, St. Frances and Boys’ Latin. All of which should be very challenging. The next two weeks could make or break the Eagles’ season. If Locke can shoot the ball like he did tonight, they could very well squeak out with a 2-2 record over that four-game stretch.