Village Christian vs Fayetteville Academy: What We Learned
The environment for the Fayetteville Academy vs Village Christian matchup was more like a state playoff game rather than an early regular season matchup. Both teams had student fan sections that were locked in to the game which only fed…
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Continue ReadingThe environment for the Fayetteville Academy vs Village Christian matchup was more like a state playoff game rather than an early regular season matchup. Both teams had student fan sections that were locked in to the game which only fed the intensity of the teams on the court. The game was a back and forth matchup with each team going on a run of their own with Village making the final run to get the win 66-61.
Both Teams are well coached
Village Christian is led by Coach Kurt Darden who has a resume’ that is extremely impressive and can be measured up with just about any coach in the state for the last few years. Back to Back state championships and a final four appearance to follow that tells you what type of work he puts in. In the final moments of the game we saw him draw up a play that ended up being a game changing play for his squad.
Fayetteville Academy Coach Boyette has been at it for a long time and won quite a few games during his years at Terry Sanford HS. Since his time that he’s been at Fayetteville Academy, he’s preached defensive intensity and concepts which has the Eagles playing at the highest level that we have seen from them in years.
There was a high amount of college prospects on the floor
Campbell University, Boston College, UNCP and Fayetteville Tech all dropped in for this matchup and there was no question why. Each team featured at least five college prospects for the future so this was the place to be if you were a college coach without a doubt.
Our rankings were right
Prior to this matchup, we dropped out Cape Fear Region Private School rankings for the month. With Village ranked #2 and Fayetteville Academy behind at a close #3 we were interested to see if we got things right and it looks as if it we did. Both teams are very talented but with VCA getting a win on the road, you have to give them the nod as the better team at this point of the season.
Players of the Game
Fayetteville Academy 2019 Guard John Michael Wright: The first half belonged to JMW, he caused problems for just about everyone that guarded him and would finish the half with 13 out of his 27 points. Boston College was in to see the Senior Guard and he has already picked some offers from programs on the MM level, Elon University is another program that showed interest.
Village Christian 2020 Guard Zavian Mclean: He started off the game pretty quiet, with just 5 points in the first half but as the game went on, he got better. In the 2nd half he took on the task of guarding the opposing teams’ best player and did a tremendous job, denying him the ball and providing constant pressure. Offensively he remained aggressive and would finish with 19 points, including a game changing three point shot in the 4th quarter.
Young Talent
Village Christian 2022 Guard Jalen Higgins: The game is beginning to slow down for him, he has a nice amount of potential being a guard in the 6’4 range. He stepped up and knocked down some big three point shots without any type of hesitation, a lot to like about this youngster.
Battle of the bigs
Fayetteville Academy 2019 Emmanuel Izunabor: 6’9 and strong, Izunabor is a player that has picked up some offers already and will be a nice get for a program. He still is learning but has flashes of how good he can be, finished the day with 10 Points and double digit rebounds.
Village Christian 2019 Derrick Quansah: At 6’10 he is a player that you simply can’t miss, and we have noticed that he has put a nice amount of time into his game over the summer. He made some solid moves in the post and has a soft touch around the rim, holds D1 offers and interest.