Nevaeh Wren
Last night, the Perry Hall Gators traveled to Parkville to take on the Knights in what used to be the biggest rivalry in Baltimore County. Even though the tension between both schools have settled, there was no shortage of intensity in last night’s game. The Gators ended up on the winning side of things by a final score of 82-70 to improve to 10-5 on the season. Parkville falls to 6-7 with the loss.
MVP | Anthony Higgs | Perry Hall ’18
Higgs finished the night with a game-high 25 points to go with 12 rebounds and three blocks. The 6’8 Ole Miss commit was an enforcer in the painted area on both sides of the floor. In the third quarter, he pounded the offensive glass for put backs to help the Gators separate themselves after holding only a three-point halftime lead. He did a nice job of using his strength and positioning on the block for easy looks around the rim in the halfcourt.
He almost took the house down with this one-handed dunk, but missed.
Thought @Flyhighant was gonna break the rim with this one. pic.twitter.com/4yckt2n6oY
— Colby Giacubeno (@ColbyGHoops) January 30, 2018
Best Offensive Performance | Anthony Walker | Perry Hall ’19
Walker finished with 19 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the win. The 6’9 junior mixed it up well offensively, scoring on the block with his back to the basket, crashing the offensive glass and even connecting on a three. Walker put on a dunk contest of his own in the third quarter that ultimately ignited the Gators to run away with the game. Here are two of his three dunks (the other will appear later in this article).
Anthony Walker (@AntgotClout) with back-to-back dunks to give the Gators a 48-35 lead with 4:24 left in the 3rd. Here’s the first: pic.twitter.com/FrLbzHM5jH
— Colby Giacubeno (@ColbyGHoops) January 29, 2018
And the second from @AntgotClout… pic.twitter.com/zQH9tcbahS
— Colby Giacubeno (@ColbyGHoops) January 29, 2018
Best Defensive Performance | LaQuill Hardnett | Perry Hall ’18
Hardnett was active defensively for the Gators finishing with four blocked shots. For a portion of the game, the Gators went to a 3-2 zone defense and Hardnett played the back line with Higgs. When both weren’t blocking a shot, they were distorting attempts from the Parkville players and causing them to miss. Hardnett finished with 12 points and seven rebounds as well.
Checking in at Parkville as they take on Perry Hall. Tied at 18 after the 1st quarter. Got here late but made it in time to see @Q_T1me take off. @PrepHoopsMD pic.twitter.com/Gdr53YczsD
— Colby Giacubeno (@ColbyGHoops) January 29, 2018
Best Rebounder | Jordan Richardson | Parkville ’20
Richardson has quietly been one of the best rebounders in the county this season, and last night was no different. At 6’4, despite being overwhelmed by Perry Hall’s size, the sophomore finished with 18 rebounds on the night. He also did a nice job finishing even when contested by the Perry Hall big men. Richardson gets good body positioning early in possessions and has good timing on when to get the ball at its peak.
Best Passer | Tyler Holley | Perry Hall ’18
Holley finished the night with five assists but made many more key decision when initiating the offense that helped Perry Hall’s success. He was effective in noticing mismatches that were on the floor and taking advantage of them immediately. Many of his plays would be categorized as a hockey assist, meaning he made the pass before the actual assist.
Best Shooter | Jarrin Waters | Parkville ’19
Waters led the Knights with 21 points and put together two solid halves of basketball. The 5’11 point guard is shifty and has ability to break his defender down off the dribble and head into his jump shot quickly. When Perry Hall went zone, the lefty was effective in ball-screen actions and drilled three three’s because of late rotations.
Best Underclassman | Daquan Reece | Parkville ’20
Reece has been tearing up the scoring column for the Knights this season. Although last night he didn’t shoot it efficiently, the sophomore still ended with 17 points. He nailed three three’s and had a number of strong takes to the basket avoiding the outstretched arms of the Perry Hall bigs. Reece is and explosive athlete that will be one to keep an eye on moving forward.
Best Guy Off The Bench | D.J. Cloude | Perry Hall ’19
Cloude came in and provided energy at the point guard slot for the Gators. The 5’11 point guard was extremely active defensively and his pesky on-ball defense resulted in steals and transition opportunities. With those opportunities, Cloude did a nice job with decision-making by either taking it himself or finding an open teammate for an easy bucket.
Best Under The Radar Performance | Jordan Richardson | Parkville ’20
This game, especially in the second half, was dominated by Perry Hall’s dunk contest they held in transition. What was overshadowed was Richardson’s impressive double-double of 17 points and 18 rebounds. As stated before, Richardson has been one of the best rebounders in the area and continues to put in these efforts against the top teams. Along with Reece, he’ll be fun to watch continue to develop at Parkville for the next two seasons.
Best Play
I’ll just leave this here.
Aaaaaand another one from @AntgotClout this time off the backboard from DJ Cloude. pic.twitter.com/VXPbiRHIrh
— Colby Giacubeno (@ColbyGHoops) January 29, 2018