Five Takeaways: Cathedral vs. Ben Davis
Ben Davis is looking to get back to the State Championship game but teams like Cathedral will stand in their way. On Friday night, they got another good punch in the mouth as Cathedral battled with them all game long but in the end, Ben Davis was able to hold them off with a pair of late free throws to get the win, 51-49. Armaan Franklin of Cathedral led all scorers with 18 points while Aaron Henry led Ben Davis with 17.
Point Guard Play Key For Ben Davis Down The Stretch
Having watched Ben Davis quite a few times this year, their point guard play is the weakest part of their game. With Jalen Windham, Aaron Henry, and Dawand Jones as their 3/4/5, they seem pretty set but last night showed again why they do have some areas to work on. They have plenty of point guard options like Cameron Maul, Dminic Day, and Ty Nibbs but you have kind of been waiting to see someone step up. Last night when Cathedral decided to press up, Ben Davis kept having the ball in their wings hands rather than a true guard. Not sure they need anymore offense than they are getting but I think the ball security and confidence is something they lack a bit. This is nitpicking a bit as they are a really good team capable of making another run but it just seems that is the area that needs to improve in the postseason.
Cathedral Needs More Ball Movement
For Cathedral, every game this season that we have seen has the same problem in it. Around the third and fourth quarters, their offense goes stagnant. The ball stops moving and there is more iso going on than needed. Cathedral looked pretty good in the first half of the game and was getting a little bit of everyone involved. But after the half, Ben Davis was able to pack it in a bit defensively and make it harder from Armaan Franklin to drive the lane. This happened in the Carmel game and in the Howe game. This time, they weren’t able to overcome it. They would seem to be better suited if they could acknowledge that and make those adjustments because this team, in my opinion, is better suited to make a deep run than Ben Davis. Just need to keep the offense going the whole game.
Dawand Jones A Match-up Problem
Jones, that kid is a nightmare. 6’8 and built like an NFL lineman, Dawand is probably headed for football but he’s really good at basketball. Great feet, big body, and you can’t move him so when he gets the ball, he’s near automatic. Last night he went 6/7 from the field and drew three shooting fouls. Looking ahead, not many are going to have an answer for him. He’s a game changer for Ben Davis and really the only thing you can do is front him with length and hope for the best but if you don’t have anyone over 6’5 with +4 or better length, you are probably going to give up a lot of post touches and points.
Ross Welch Back For Cathedral
One of the bright spots for Cathedral last night was the play of junior forward Ross Welch. The 6’7 forward is finally playing and looked pretty solid last night. Stretched out to hit a three and had a post move or two. Still not 100% but close and Cathedral needs his size and versatility. If he can come back and be a true post option for them that can also shoot, that would really help when Sectionals get underway in two weeks.
Cathedral’s Pressure Could Be Bonus In Postseason
Another bright spot for Cathedral was the pressure late in the game. They had some strategy with it trying to goat Aaron Henry into some fouls late but also they were able to get into Ben Davis’ guards and create some key turnovers. Now, they didn’t win but I think against a team like Ben Davis they can expose some flaws and give themselves a chance to get some easy buckets. Armaan Franklin’s length caused a lot of problems last night and against less experienced guards, he’s going to get those turnovers.