Apollo vs Ironwood: The Rematch
After Apollo beat Ironwood earlier in the year, the Eagles looked to avenge their tough loss against the very talented Hawks squad. Both of the teams have had great seasons and are both in good spots to win the 5A…
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Continue ReadingAfter Apollo beat Ironwood earlier in the year, the Eagles looked to avenge their tough loss against the very talented Hawks squad. Both of the teams have had great seasons and are both in good spots to win the 5A Northwest Region Title. The stage was set for one of the biggest games in 5A.
The Eagles got off to a hot start, feeding off of their pumped home court crowd. The fans were in high spirits as it was Senior Night for Ironwood High School. After the first, the Eagles led by 11 points. The Eagles showed some stellar defense and scored the ball very well in transition. The second quarter was more of the same, as the Eagles extended their lead to 15.
The 3rd quarter was very exciting and competitive, as both squads were battling head to head. The Hawks would go on a run, then the Eagles would return on a run of their own. The scoring went back and forth but the Hawks could not crack that 15 point lead. However, this would change drastically in the 4th quarter.
The 4th quarter may be some of the most intense basketball I have ever seen at a high school game. The atmosphere reminded me a lot of last year’s playoff game between Salpointe Catholic and Shadow Mountain. The Hawks capitalized on the Eagles late foul trouble, as Cassius Carmichael and Malik Smith both fouled out midway in the 4th. They quickly cut the lead to a a very close game, even getting within 2 points at one point in the game. Emmanuel Taban had struggled throughout the game until this point, knocking down multiple threes and playing solid defense.
However, the Eagles were determined to win this game and took care of the ball and knocked down some clutch free throws late in the game. Bailon Black and Dominic Gonzalez showed their clutch gene by knocking down all of their free throws. Eagles win 75-70.
Individual Performances:
I was very impressed with JJ White, as he did a great job of containing Apollo standout guard, Paris Woods. JJ White, Bailon Black, and Aaron Rice did a great job of stepping in and taking charges, which forced Emmanuel Taban to sit on the bench for the majority of the first half.
Emmanuel Taban shot the ball extremely well once he was finally able to get back on the court. He is a tough scorer to stop since he is so tall and long and has a very high release on his jump shot.
Zeke Thompkins did a very solid job containing the Eagle’s high scorer, Dominic Gonzalez. Zeke Thompkins played very tough and physical defense. Dominic Gonzalez did a good job of battling with him, a scorer like Gonzalez is going to get his eventually but these two really battled back and forth.
Bailon Black showed some elusiveness as he is very crafty with the ball. He often crossed defenders and got to the basket with ease, slipping his way between defenders.
While Paris Woods did not shoot it very well in the first half, he was a huge part of Apollo’s big run in the 4th quarter. He pressured the Eagles ball handlers and that resulted in a lot of points of turnovers. He also knocked down 2 three’s during that big Apollo 4th quarter run.
While Malik Smith and Cassius Carmichael fouled out in the 4th, they made a huge impact on the game for the Eagles. Both provided solid defense and gathered a ton of rebounds. Cassius Carmichael attacked the basket very well.