Five Takeaways: Lakewood St. Edward v. Shaker Heights
Lakewood St. Edward, the #2 team in Division I after December, weathered Shaker Heights’ comeback effort, winning 98-90 at the Play by Play Classic.
The win pushed St. Edward to a 3-0 week six record with victories also coming against St. Vincent-St. Mary and Benedictine. This was Shaker’s second loss of the season.
Breakout week for Demetrius Terry
After scoring 25 points against Benedictine the night before, junior 6’1” guard Demetrius “Meechie” Terry kept it rolling against Shaker on Sunday. The explosive athlete threw down multiple highlight-level dunks and connected on 3-pointers for a total of 26 points. Terry can play both guard spots because of his vision, athleticism, and jumper.
St. Edward senior sleepers
Division III programs will want to stop by Lakewood to get their eyes on 6’8” stretch-four Emmett Chambers and 6’3” sniper PJ Flannery. Chambers shoots the ball well, can put it on the floor and make a play with his back to the basket. Solid rebounder. Flannery stays active in passing lanes on defense and is always ready to fire the jumper. Both small college prospects move well without the ball.
St. Edward’s depth
We’re expecting to see St. Edward in Columbus because of the amount of contributors they bring off the bench. Grant Huffman, Demetrius Terry, Will Henry, Mark Ganter, and Richard White all gave quality minutes off the bench in this game. Sliding any of their players in doesn’t mess with the chemistry, as the player and ball movement is consistent.
We’ve touched on Terry, so let’s talk about the others. Huffman will likely be in the starting lineup by the end of the year. He looks rusty as a shooter right now, but his return from injury gives Eds another reliable ball-handler. As for Will Henry, he’s a true post player who brings toughness and muscle to the low block. Henry provides a changeup from the skill and shooting they get from Chambers. Ganter is another hard-nosed defender who shoots the ball well and keeps it moving. White is a back-up guard who played spot minutes.
Christian Guess’ value
Christian Guess missed this game after getting two technical fouls in Shaker’s previous game. While this would’ve been the game of the day, losing the unsigned 6’6” wing proved detrimental for the Raiders. The dynamic athlete is their leading scorer whose length changes the game on both ends.
Dale Bonner stepped up in his running mate’s absence, scoring 36 points from all over the court — his best shooting exhibition we’ve seen to date.
Dakota Cochran from the corner, again!
Cochran, a 6’2″ sophomore guard, came out of nowhere to score 30 points in the Shaker loss. St. Eds continually lost sight of Cochran, who lurked in the corner awaiting the kick-out. When it was dished to him, he consistently swished it home. Becoming a consistent knock-down shooter would re-write the evaluation on Cochran.