MBA Knocks off Pace Academy (GA)
The MBA Big Red (14-1) captured a notable win Saturday afternoon over Pace Academy (GA), 50-39.
Despite persistent poor shooting from the floor, MBA wrangled a victory. How?
Glass Work
The MBA tugged down 16 offensive rebounds, with each starter collecting at least one.
MBA defeats Pace Academy (GA) . pic.twitter.com/hZQLhdrJLl
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MBA seniors acknowledged the large rebounding figure, but did not consider it an outlier.
“It is pretty typical. We like to crash the boards, get it out in transition,” said 2018 wing Will Nutter. “Make some shots.”
Thomas Carr finished with 11 points and four rebounds. He concurred with Nutter’s assessment.
“Yeah, we really try to crash hard on the boards,” said Carr. “Like I said, it is a team effort, everybody is kind of going for ’em. We get some defensive bounds in there.”
Leading the Way
Eight players scored against Pace Academy. The starters deserve mention. Four starters specifically handled the scoring burden best.
Carr gave the 11 points and Drew Weikert (10) and Will Nutter (10) each scored in double figures. Alexander Roberts scored nine points and also lead the Big Red in rebounding with eight rebounds.
Weikert and Roberts each knocked down multiple three-pointers. The six steals from Roberts really mattered too.
Help Defense
MBA generally does a nice job of preventing or at least dissuading penetration. The Big Red are not blessed with a foreboding shotblocker, so it falls on the entire team to slide the feet and deny.
Wings have to commit to help guard the lane, and they do. Overall the team succeeds as a defensive collective. Five opponents failed to score 50 points against MBA in a game this season.
Sharing
MBA runs a rather fluid system of ball movement.
“Just move the ball and hit open shots,” said Will Nutter.
Beyond the primary ball-handler , Drew Weikert, MBA has an unselfishness surging through their collective veins. Weikert recorded five assists of the team’s 14 assists.
Alexander Roberts gave three assists and Will Nutter contributed four assists too.
That does not encapsulate the entire scope of their passing attack. Late in the game, Montgomery Bell Academy Head Coach Kevin Anglin ardently vocalized the strategy, “Don’t dribble!”
“It was a good team effort,” said Thomas Carr. “We didn’t actually have a full team here, so it was good that some other guys that wouldn’t normally contribute as much stepped in. We stuck together, played well. Good team game. Everybody chipped in and got the team win.”
For a team lacking a dominant post-player, MBA gets that basketball swinging and kicking as well as any team in central Tennessee. C.P.A. plays the same brand of basketball.
The style resembles soccer in that there isn’t a definitive line of passing as much as there is a circle of options. Angles are key and movement off the ball creates the opportunities.
The Big Red compete at McCallie and Ensworth next week.
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