Five Takeaways: St. Edward at Benedictine
St. Edward 74 Benedictine 60 St. Edward traveled to Benedictine High School Saturday night to take on the Bengals, who were riding high after a dominant performance against Padua the night before. The Eagles of St. Edward recently returned from…
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Continue ReadingSt. Edward 74
Benedictine 60
St. Edward traveled to Benedictine High School Saturday night to take on the Bengals, who were riding high after a dominant performance against Padua the night before. The Eagles of St. Edward recently returned from Myrtle Beach, where they went 3-1 in the Beach Ball Classic. Here are my thoughts on how the game played out.
1. Although nobody jumped out to an early lead in this game, you had the sense that St. Edward was in control start to finish. Poised as he always is, Grant Huffman showed why he is one of Ohio’s best junior prospects, making an impact on both ends. Huffman got going early, showing off good touch around the rim, but also displaying the ability to make the extra pass, setting teammates up for easy layups, like he did for junior G Montorie Foster on their opening possession. Later on in the 1st Quarter, Huffman was called for a charge then a traveling violation on back-to-back possessions. Unscathed, Huffman came down the following possession and again drove through the Bengals defense for an easy layup. On the reverse end, Huffman was an active defender, always seeming to cut off the passing lanes for Benedictine.
2. Benedictine came out in a 2-3 Zone defense. St. Edward chose to attack this was by focusing on player spacing, often times spreading all 5 guys around the 3-point line. Very frequently their offense consisted of making a pass, cutting through the lane, and rotating around the arc. They would repeat this until they found an open shot or saw the opportunity to drive through the defense, which fortunately for St. Ed’s, came early and often.
3. One of the bright spots for Benedictine in this contest was junior G Jashun Cobb (almost as bright as the shoes he was wearing). Cobb was explosive all game long, creating his offense off the bounce, and converting most of his opportunities around the rim. If you couldn’t pick him out by his shoes, he was the one with the relentless motor trying to inject some extra energy into his teammates after every score. Cobb did all of his damage around the rim in the 1st Half, then decided to show he has some range too, knocking down a pair of triples in the 3rd Quarter. Cobb would finish with 23 in the losing effort, but opened a lot of eyes in the process.
4. Speaking of energy, you would be extremely hard pressed to find someone that plays with as much passion and enthusiasm as St. Edward’s 6’5″ Center Spencer Crane. Getting his first crack at Varsity playing time in his four year career this season, Crane has made the most of it by being physical with guys typically much bigger than him, and being the hardest working player on each and every play. Showing the same intensity and emotions whether he just made the play of the game, or is sitting at the end of the bench, is a lot of fun to watch as a spectator.
5. If you want to point to one or two reasons St. Edward won this game so handily, it’d have to be their ability to limit star scorers for Benedictine, Wing Andy Barba and Guard Davin Zeigler. Barba looked like he may pose a problem for the Eagles defense early on, knocking down two quick 3’s. Unfortunately for the junior wing, he would not get many more opportunities, as St. Edward did not allow his quick release to hurt them much longer, taking away any good looks from the sharpshooter. Barba finished with 11. Zeigler was able to help his team in other ways, pushing his team up the floor and getting other guys involved. He capped off the night with 9 points.
6. One extra because I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the play of Junior F Devontae Blanton. Blanton was able to make an impact on the game without looking to score, finishing with just3 6 points. Blanton uses his size and strength to take on anyone inside and out. With a good scoring touch, he’s bigger than most wings or forwards assigned to guard him, but he’s strong enough to take on anyone on the boards. He’s certainly someone who’s progress you’ll want to track this year and next.