Five Takeaways: Boys’ Latin vs McDonogh
In a very intriguing MIAA A Conference match-up, the Eagles from McDonogh hosted the Lakers from Boys’ Latin on Friday night. It was a clash of two very different styles of play. The Lakers operate their entire game plan around…
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Continue ReadingIn a very intriguing MIAA A Conference match-up, the Eagles from McDonogh hosted the Lakers from Boys’ Latin on Friday night. It was a clash of two very different styles of play. The Lakers operate their entire game plan around their ability to shoot the three, while McDonogh has a number of athletes, so they want to get out in the open floor and make it a fast-paced game. In the end, the Lakers had their way from deep, winning 69-53. Boys’ Latin improved to 7-1 overall. McDonogh falls to 4-1 with the loss.
Here are five takeaways:
Cam Spencer is a bad man
Spencer finished with a game-high 25 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out six assists. His stat line speaks perfectly for how he played in this game. The Loyola Maryland commit had complete control and showcased an IQ that was simply on another level. He shot 9-of-17 from the field and 5-of-9 from three. Once again, every time Spencer catches the ball, he pump fakes. Because he is one of the best shooters teams will face all season, the defender has to respect it, but then he uses the defender’s imbalance against them and gets in the paint to make a play. Spencer doesn’t let pressure speed him up, and after he buries a three in your face, he lets you know about it. The good thing is, he backs up all of his talk.
Experienced players step up for McDonogh
Senior guard Drew Green led the way for the Eagles with 15 points. Junior wing Curtis Jacobs chipped in with 12 of his own. When Boys’ Latin used a third quarter run to get separation, the two started playing aggressively in the fourth to bring any sort of life to the team by attacking the rim. Green shot 5-of-13 from the field, but cashed on on five of his six free-throw attempts. He capitalized as the ball handler when the set would break down and he was forced to take his man one-on-one.
Sam Grace lights it up early
Grace will probably lead the league in the least amount of dribbles taken per minutes played, but he doesn’t have to with his shooting ability and quick release off the catch. Grace nailed five three’s in the first half to set the tone for the rest of the game. McDonogh switched from man to a number of different zone defenses, but none of them mattered. Grace continued to let it go from a couple feet behind the line. He finished shooting 5-of-9 from three for 15 total points.
McDonogh may be young, but they’re starting to come together
The scoreboard indicated a 16-point win for the Lakers, but it wasn’t that lopsided. McDonogh lost the first quarter by four, tied the second quarter and lost the fourth quarter by 2. The third quarter was where the game got away from them, getting outscored 17-7. Despite all of that, sophomores Jared Billups and Dave Brown scored nine and eight points respectively. Billups was having a very strong game, but was limited to just 16 minutes due to foul trouble. This team is still getting used to playing with each other, but they’re taking steps in the right direction. Boys’ Latin is a very good team and the fact that McDonogh stuck with them for all but one quarter speaks something considering their youth.
Looking ahead for both teams
Boys’ Latin is solidifying themselves as a top five team in Baltimore after winning their seventh-straight game last night. They’ll face off against Archbishop Spalding Wednesday followed by St. Mary’s Ryken in the Bullis Holiday Tournament. They’ll face the winner or loser of Mercersburg Academy and St. Vincent Pallotti. McDonogh will host Mt. Carmel and St. Maria Goretti before traveling to St. Paul’s. Both McDonogh and Boys’ Latin have a good chance to finish with a positive record in the next three games, now we’ll have to see if they can take care of business.