5 Takeaways: Lee’s Summit vs Lee’s Summit North
Lee’s Summit was able to hold off Lee’s Summit North in a game that wasn’t decided until the final seconds. You would never be able to tell that after the first period of play, the score was 11-8 in Lee’s Summit North’s favor. The pace picked up immensely and it made for quite the exciting game! It was a back and forth game and neither team lead by more than 9 points. Lee’s Summit North was led by their leading scorer Javaunte Hawkins who had a pretty good night and poured in a solid 35 points. Lee’s Summit shot the ball very well and was led by the up and coming star Will Eames who scored 26 points.
2018 Forward Will Eames
If you haven’t heard of the name Will Eames yet, you need to take notice. The senior forward has been a star all season long and is one of the more consistent bigs in the area. He can score the ball all over the floor, and he doesn’t have a hard time doing so. Eames has had a few big games this year, but he doesn’t force anything, and he continues to allow the game to come to him. He’s been a great teammate and works hard throughout the entire game. Eames is just out there doing what he can to help his team grab the win rather than worrying about stats or anything personal. He plays with heart and consistency and that is all his team can ask from him. He is probably the best big shooter in the area, but like this game, if he doesn’t need to shoot or make any 3’s, he has no problem stepping inside to score. He is a pretty quick big and has great footwork when having the ball in the post which makes him a very difficult player to contain. Coach Blake Little mentioned on behalf of Eames’s performance, “He doesn’t know how good he is yet”. Eames is still trying to make a name for himself, but he has a few starting to take notice.
2019 Guard Javaunte Hawkins
Javaunte Hawkins is putting together another solid season together as he is leading the Lee’s Summit North team in scoring and assists. He isn’t the biggest guard on the court, but you wouldn’t know that by how easy it is for him to score the ball, and he can do that in a hurry. He is averaging better than 20 a game as a junior this season and he didn’t disappoint on Rivalry night against Lee’s Summit. He got hot late in the second quarter and finished at the half with 20 points. With a slow 3rd quarter, he got back on his grind and kept Lee’s Summit North in the game with a couple of late 3’s and a late steal that got them within two. He had a couple of chances to tie the game late, but his free throw and 3 pointer that he missed both rimmed in and out. Hawkins scored 35 points which was his 3rd game of 30+ this season, but he knows nothing matters if his team isn’t able to get the W. Big man Elijah Farr continues his great season and finished with double figures last night with 14 points. He also brought in more than 10 rebounds. Logan Jenkins didn’t have hit best night from deep, but was able to find the bucket inside the arc multiple times. He also finished in double figures scoring 15 points. Lee’s Summit North is now 5-5, and will have tough hill to climb as they continue with their tough conference schedule.
Lee’s Summit’s Equal Play
After watching this Lee’s Summit team multiple times now, they just continue to grow as a team and look better every outing. They have to be one of my favorite teams around the area. They don’t seem to have one standout star on the team that is going to drop 25 a night, but it can be done by 3 or 4 of the players on the team. The team is very unselfish and they all love playing together, and that is the recipe for a great team which could lead to a great season. While they don’t have a ton of depth, they’ve got about 6 players that can play most if not the entire game if needed. Not every player is going to have their greatest game, and if they are struggling on a certain night, Coach Little isn’t afraid to sit them down and let the rest of the team do what they can to get the win. Senior Guard Seth Romi got hot last night, and when his confidence is up, watch out! He went on a spurt and hit 6 of his shots in a row. He tallied up 18 points for Lee’s Summit. Another guard who has been playing really well and is a great fit for this Tigers team is O’Hara transfer Deron McDaniel. He’s a very patient player, but also relies on confidence. He can score the ball with the best of them, but doesn’t try too hard and makes the most of his opportunities. He finished the game in double figures as well scoring 16 points.
Lee’s Summit North’s Defense
After the 1st period was over, you would have thought that maybe this game was going to be in the 40’s, but that didn’t hold up long with both teams pouring in at least 19 points in each of the last 3 quarters. Lee’s Summit North has a soft press and zone defense that seems to work against some of the bigger teams they play, but at times it can come back to haunt them. Last night was one of those nights. With the way Lee’s Summit was shooting the ball, the zone was just getting lit up pretty bad, and there wasn’t a lot that the Broncos could do. It seems that they haven’t worked on a lot of man to man, and maybe that will be up for discussion in the future. The zone also doesn’t work if the team isn’t playing with that defensive intensity and fire, and that could have been a big role reason why the Tigers got a lot of open looks. Either way, the Broncos want the game in the 70’s or 80’s because they are a team that can score with the best of them, but if they want to win games down the stretch, they will need to play with some energy and excitement on the defensive end.
Where will these teams land in the conference?
Both of these teams are loaded with talented players all over the court, but that doesn’t mean that either one will finish near the top of the conference. The way it is looking right now, Lee’s Summit is headed in the right direction, and with North dropping their last two conference games, they are going to need to turn things around. The Lee’s Summit Tigers probably weren’t thought of one of the better teams in conference, and that might have been because they don’t have that one star player. After watching this team grow play and grow together as one, I think Lee’s Summit is going to be a tough beat. I’m predicting Lee’s Summit to finish 2nd in the Conference right behind Lee’s Summit West. Lee’s Summit North on the other hand will have some making up to do, but I am going to predict them in the 3rd spot. This North team can play with any team in the area, and they have the ability to knock off some monsters, but there are nights where they just don’t have that winner’s mentality. Look for both of these teams to have great success as the season moves forward.