South Eugene 74, Sheldon 66: Top Performers
The fifth-ranked South Eugene Axe opened league play at home against cross-town rival Sheldon Tuesday, taking care of business with a clinical 74-66 come-from-behind victory behind an incredibly balanced offensive attack. Five players scored double figures for South Eugene, who…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe fifth-ranked South Eugene Axe opened league play at home against cross-town rival Sheldon Tuesday, taking care of business with a clinical 74-66 come-from-behind victory behind an incredibly balanced offensive attack. Five players scored double figures for South Eugene, who cemented themselves as the clear-cut favorite to win the Southwest Conference.
After leading for the entirety of the first half, The Axe gave up a 10-0 run to open the third quarter, and were forced to respond accordingly behind the play of their go-to scoring options: Josh Paul and Cole McAninch. A bit of chirping from the Sheldon student section seemed to fuel McAninch in particular, who dropped in a deep three and assisted Sam Harris in the corner to close the period and recapture the lead.
The fourth quarter was well managed by South Eugene, who spent the entire game doing their best to contain Patrick Herbert. Whenever the Irish seemed to need a bucket, Herbert responded with an assortment of tip-ins, runners, and baby hooks in the paint. Despite his great performance, Herbert was unable to trounce The Axe, who remained poised and made their free throws down the stretch, allowing them to close out a solid victory against a league foe.
Here’s the top performers from Tuesday:
Cole McAninch (2019 South Eugene) – Stats: 15 points, 3 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl
The 6-foot-4 wing player had a fairly modest scoring night, posting 15 points, a large sum of which came from the charity stripe. More impressive was McAninch’s performance as a passer. The lengthy senior collected his first double-double of the year by putting up 10 assists alongside his 15 points and three rebounds. McAninch allowed his assists to come in numerous ways, including bullet passes fired off quick spin moves and well-placed lobs to Aidan Clark.
Josh Paul (2020 South Eugene) – Stats: 15 points, 3 reb, 1 ast
Paul has been a tremendous addition for The Axe, who put up a versatile 15 points against his former school. The 6-foot-4 junior continues to shoot the ball very well from the field, consistently displaying an array of impressive offensive skills. Paul’s long first step allows him to get to the rim effectively and forces defenders to respect his dribble-drive, which leads to open threes that the junior can also knock down with consistency.
Aidan Clark (2020 South Eugene) – Stats: 14 points, 6 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk
The 6-foot-9 post was once again an imposing presence inside, collecting three blocks against a talented Sheldon frontcourt. In addition, Clark showed vast improvement as a composed offensive threat, finishing many plays on the block on dishes from The Axe’s assortment of slashers, namely McAninch. The junior could still be more aggressive on the glass, but his tremendous length makes collecting rebounds and catching alley-oops more manageable.
Patrick Herbert (2019 Sheldon) – Stats: 26 points, 7 reb, 0 ast, 2 stl
The Oregon football commit scored a game-high 26 points for the struggling Irish, who essentially have one bright spot offensively so far this season. Herbert scored in a variety of ways, most notably as a dominant force in the painted area. The 6-foot-6 post had a significant weight advantage on the much narrower Clark, which allowed him to collect a good number of putback buckets. During Sheldon’s 10-0 run, Herbert made a particularly impressive play, intercepting a South Eugene pass on the sideline, racing up court with some impressive speed, and finishing with a monster tomahawk jam on the other end.