Six observations from Benedictine’s win over St. Ignatius
The Benedictine Bengals might be ranked No. 13 in the Cleveland.com rankings, but they have arguably the No.1 combination of guards in the city. (I see you Solon.)
Chris Jefferson (2018) leads the group, currently, and all he did over the weekend was average 23 a game and lead Benedictine to big wins over No. 11 Lake Catholic and No. 8 St. Ignatius. Jefferson, 5’11, displayed an ability to get to the basket and finish or draw a foul and a nice stroke on his 3-pointer, as he scored 26 lead to Benedictine past St. Ignatius, 77-68 on Feb. 3. He’s planning on playing football at Findlay, but he could be lured back to the hardwood in the right situation, according to his coach, Rob Stirculas.
“I tell them they can’t see your face with that facemask on. Play hoops,” Stircula said.
Who else flashed in the backcourt for Benedictine?
1. Jashun Cobb (2020), 5’11”
Scored 22 in the win over St. Ignatius and was repeatedly able to get to the basket where he finished or drew a foul, can handle and shoot.
“His first step is lightening and he finishes at the rim and he makes shots. He pounds the ball real hard and I love that in a player,” said Stircula.
2. Eric Buckner, (2020), 5’10”
Plays a really nice floor game and can knock down a shot. An outstanding student with a 4.3 cumulative GPA, he attended Columbia’s elite camp in the summer of 2017, where he was voted the MVP.
It should be noted Benedictine also has one of the best guards in the state in the class of 2019 in Davin Ziegler, and athetic 6’2” high flyer who will be sidelined until the season’s final game with an injury to his midsection.
Andy Barba (2020), 6’6”
Ended up getting hurt in the win over St. Ignatius. He was wearing a big ice pack on an ankle after the game. He did try to come in for a spell in the second half and gut it out, but had to succumb to pain. In his place 6’5” Mario Caywood had a big fourth quarter coming up with key rebound, after key rebound for Benedictine.
4. Mario Caywood (2018), 6’5”
Was all over the floor down the stretch in the win over Iggy grabbing rebounds, defending and scoring. Finished the Iggy game with 9 points. In the win over Lake Catholic, he grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots.
Iggy flashes
5. Tevin Jackson (2020), 5’9”
Another lightning quick guard who can really put the ball on a string. Plays with confidence and a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.
6. Chase Toppin (2020) 6’1”
Great build and can smother opponent with his defense. Very quick and can run the floor. Plays with a lot of effort. Needs to become more fluid in his offensive game, but showed an ability to finish at the rim in the loss to Benedictine.