Top Prospects: Centerville vs. Purcell Marian
It could be said that Matt Pearce was already having an outstanding night, having scored 24 points with around 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter. But it was the three-pointer that gave him his 27th point at the buzzer…
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Continue ReadingIt could be said that Matt Pearce was already having an outstanding night, having scored 24 points with around 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter. But it was the three-pointer that gave him his 27th point at the buzzer and helped Centerville walked away from D-III #1 ranked Purcell Marian with a 62-61 road victory. It was a fitting ending to what was a very exciting, and sometimes heated, game.
Centerville had control early thanks to the hot shooting of Pearce and mental lapses by the Cavaliers on the defensive end, allowing the Elks to convert on a few layups at the rim early off backdoor cuts. But with the score 18-8 after one, Purcell started to slowly climb back into the game behind 2019 G Alex Dotson who had success creating off the bounce and getting in the lane early and often. With Purcell also turning up the intensity on defense, they were able to cut the Elks lead to six at the half down 31-25.
The 3rd quarter was back and forth, with Coach Kerr’s squad using pick and roll basketball to exploit mismatches and drive right at the Elk’s 6’9 shot blocker Mo Njie. This allowed the Cavaliers forward duo of Alex Dotson and Bryan Warah to eat in the paint and in the mid-range areas, were both players excel. But the hot shooting of Matt Pearce continued and that along with the point guard play of Ryan Marchal helped the Elks maintain a 46-41 lead going into the best 4th quarter I have seen this season.
We’ll jump to 20.2 seconds left in the 4th quarter were a questionable foul call on Centerville’s Davis Mumaw resulted in a technical on Mumaw as well. The Cavaliers Javonta Lyons knocked in 1 of 2 free throws to tie the game at 59. After a timeout Coach Kerr put the ball in Alex Dotson’s hands in a 1-4 set which allowed Dotson to drive the line and hit a floater in the lane with about 10 seconds left which gave the Purcell a 61-59 lead. But unfortunately for the Cavaliers they left enough time for the Centerville to make a play. Without a TO left Ryan Marchal calmly took the inbound and pushed the ball up court where he found Pearce on the left wing and in front of the home crowd. Pearce let a three fly with 1.3 seconds left and splash!!! A stunned home crowd watched as The Elks celebrated the victory.
Top Prospects
- Matt Pearce (Centerville, 2019) 27pts, 10-13fg, 5-7 3fg- Pearce was flat out hot from the opening tip all the way to his game winning shot. Matt did an excellent job of moving without the basketball and using screens all evening. Armed with a quick release, he did not need much daylight to get his shoot off and had excellent shot preparation in catch and shoot situations.
- Ryan Marchal (Centerville, 2019 PHO #168) 13pts, 4reb, 6ast- While not the flashiest player, Marchal was rock solid with the ball in his hands all evening. He finished the game with only 2 turnovers to go along with his 6 assist and always seemed to make the correct decision throughout the evening. Ryan was also cool as a cucumber in the final possession, as it was he that advanced the ball and made the pass to his backcourt mate Matt Pearce for the game winning bucket. Marchal will be attending Huntington Prep post-graduation.
- Mo Njie (Centerville, 2020 PHO #5) 2pts, 9reb, 9blk- While a non-factor offensively, Njie size (6’9) and length either blocked or altered a ton of shots in the paint. What made him even more impressive on the defensive end was the fact that he stayed straight up and down most of the evening, which helped him stay out of foul trouble. He also set some outstanding screens that allowed backcourt mates Marchal and Pearce to get open looks from the perimeter.
- Alex Dotson (Purcell, 2019 PHO #78) 18pts, 4reb, 7-17fg- Dotson was at his best getting in the lane all night, where he finished with a variety of floaters and pull-up jumpers in the lane. Showed that he has the size (6’4), handle and scoring ability to play on and off ball at the next level. This young man’s stock continues to rise with each passing game. D-II programs are missing out on a very, very good combo guard.
- AJ Garrett (Purcell, 2019 PHO #80) 8pts, 2reb, 4-4ft- While not much of a factor in the 1st half due to two quick fouls, Garrett helped spark the Cavs 2nd half run with his energy and athleticism. He put that athleticism on display as he delivered a two-handed dunk over Mo Njie in the 4th quarter that cut the Centerville lead to four.
- Javonta Lyons (Purcell, 2019 PHO #171) 8pts, 2reb, 2ast, 6-7ft- While it may not have been the offensive output Lyons was looking for, he more than made up for it on the defensive end. Javonta spent the evening guarding all three front-court positions including center. He was rewarded for his efforts with 4 charges taken on the evening even with a nagging groin injury. Despite being only 6’1, the senior wing uses his brawn well when it comes to the defensive end and competing on the boards.
- Bryan Warah (Purcell, 2019 #116) 12pts, 11reb, 6-9fg- Warah continued his solid play since his return from back injury earlier this month. The senior more than held his own against Njie, showing his usual crafty moves and footwork in the post while also showing the ability to step out and knock down the 12-15ft. jumper. But what was even more impressive about Bryan’s evening was his work on the glass. Of Warah’s eleven boards, seven came on the offensive end. He was definitely the best forward on the court.