Four Takeaways: Moeller at Centerville
Photo Credit: Cincinnati.org
Moeller and Centerville met up in a Saturday night showdown and gave us a defensive battle. The Crusaders dominated with a 49-32 win and flexed their GCL muscles against the smaller Elks. Several players impressed for the Crusaders and even a few dark horses stepped up for Centerville. Here were my takeaways from this showdown.
Centerville will use this game as prep for tournament play
Even though they lost, the Elks will use this game as a learning experience. They face Sidney, Springfield, Wayne and Toledo St. John’s in the coming weeks. With tournament time in about a month, the Elks needed a physical matchup with a strong team to get them prepared.
Moeller could have made the game worse
The score was only a 17 point difference but Moeller could have really made it out of hand. Jaxson Hayes (#8 2018) was only held to 2 points and 2 rebounds and only connected on 1-4 field goals. The Texas commit struggled in the paint and missed a couple open shots as Centerville forward Jevon Henderson (2018) defended him well in the paint. Jeremiah Davenport (#27 2018) also struggled only knocking down 3-8 field goals.
The Elks had several dark horse players that stepped up
This was a game where Donnie Shelton (#142 2018) couldn’t get many shots up against the lengthy Crusader defense. The first half was a struggle for the Elks as a whole as they only scored 7 points. As a result, two guards stepped up and gave the Elks help on the offensive end. Alec Grandin (2018) had the most impressive game as he led the team in scoring and showed great patience on the offensive end. Matt Pearce (2019) was another sharp shooting guard that stepped up and knocked down some big shots for the Elks. Keep an eye on Mo Njie (2020).
Scoring is a struggle for the Elks
The GWOC is a tough league and has lots of high scoring athletes and teams. The Elks are at the bottom of the conference in scoring as they average 44.3 points per game. In order for them to compete they will need someone to step up and give them more consistent scoring. The 3 teams ahead of the Elks in the conference are all averaging 60+ points per game