Hamilton Makes Statement in Regional Semifinal
SUSSEX — Taking on 12-seed Germantown in Friday’s WIAA Division 1 State Tournament regional final, 5-seed Sussex Hamilton made a statement with an 84-55 victory.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. – 2021 – G/F – Sussex Hamilton
Germantown didn’t have a matchup for Baldwin and it was a huge problem. Baldwin checked out of the game before the 11-minute mark. By then, he had 30 points.
We knew Baldwin was an elite scorer, but this was a complete effort from all areas. The 6-foot-8 freshman was fantastic defensively, getting his hands in the passing lanes and turning defense into offense. Baldwin worked the defensive glass and also worked his way into high percentage areas where he could create for others.
A skilled, versatile prospect, Baldwin can fit into just about any system. He’ll play with his back to the basket and work the post, catch and shoot off screens, run the show in transition, or just float around the perimeter and hunt triples. Putting Hamilton on his back down the stretch of the season, Baldwin is averaging 33.5 points per game in his last two outings.
Lucas Finnessy – 2020 – G/F – Sussex Hamilton
Finnessy was really impressive and played beyond his years. The x-factor for Hamilton on Friday, Finnessy chipped in with 13 points, including a string of buckets in the first half that helped blow the game open.
The 6-foot-2 sophomore was very effective as a slasher. In transition and in the half court, Finnessy displayed a beautiful hesitation move that set up his drives to the rim. Defensively, Finnessy plays bigger than his size. He really made things difficult on Germantown by pushing their bigs away from the rim and setting the tone with some interior play.
Tanner Resch – 2021 – PG – Sussex Hamilton
A young prospect to watch over the next few years, Resch had eight points off the bench. A sniper with unlimited range, Resch is deadly accurate with his high-arcing 3-pointer. Resch looks like he’ll be a good floor general when he eventually gets the keys to the car for Hamilton. Maybe the best compliment you can give a reserve point guard is that when they enter a game, nothing changes. That definitely feels like the case with Resch. A guard that has a good understanding of how to move a defense around and doesn’t waste dribbles, Resch was able to give Hamilton some big minutes.
Luke Taylor – 2019 – PF – Germantown
Foul trouble derailed Taylor’s performance some and definitely took the win out of Germantown’s sails in the first half. Still, the junior forward showed why he’s one of the state’s best kept secrets.
The 6-foot-6 big man can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting, take people off the dribble and shoot from mid-range, and also play with his back to the basket. Getting some Division 2 attention going into the spring, Taylor has a deep skill set. He’s a terrific passer, either on the block or from the high post. Taylor doesn’t panic when double teams come at him and usually makes the right basketball play.
Taylor finished with 14 points in the loss.