Biggest Takeaways: Mehlville vs Lindbergh (Class 5 District 2 Title Game)
On January 15th, Lindbergh took down Mehlville 49-42 in a game where both teams were missing key players. The same teams met in the same gym tonight, this time at full strength, in the Class 5 District 2 Championship. It…
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Continue ReadingOn January 15th, Lindbergh took down Mehlville 49-42 in a game where both teams were missing key players. The same teams met in the same gym tonight, this time at full strength, in the Class 5 District 2 Championship. It has been a long time since Mehlville took home a district title, but the Panthers came out strong right from the tip and cruised to a 53-35 victory. Mehlville’s defense was suffocating for four quarters. Despite an inspiring effort by the Flyers and a late rally that cut the deficit to 9, they were no match for the dynamic junior trio of Davion Bradford, Dylan Branson, and Lamontay Daughtery. Here are our biggest takeaways from this district title tilt.
Flyers Tremendous Effort and Senior Leadership:
Lindbergh has a balanced, well coached, and talented team. It is fair to say, though, that they did not match up with the talent and physical ability of Mehlville who boasts a trio of legit D1 prospects. That being said, Lindbergh was fearless. They had knocked off the Panthers earlier in the season and did not flinch at the thought of doing it again tonight. They played with intensity, great effort, and left their fans feeling proud. 6’11 Erik Lahm is a D2/low D1 prospect who had a tall task (quite literally) in matching up with Power 5 prospect Davion Bradford. He more than held his own finishing with 11 points that included a smooth jump hook as well as a crossover attack and finish over the Panther’s 7-footer. He had a pair of impressive blocks at the rim and battled in the lane to the point of near exhaustion when he fouled out late in the contest. 6’2 Sr Kieran Conboy finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds for the Flyers. On a night when Lindbergh struggled to find quality looks in the half-court he was huge on the offensive end, connecting on some huge three-pointers and And-1 finishes. Lastly, it was not the best night in the stat sheet for 6’7 Sr Adam Bell, but his contributions on the night and to the program have not gone unnoticed. He is a long, rangy wing with deep range and a smooth jumper that uses his length well around the basket. Best of luck to Lindbergh’s trio of senior leaders.
Mehlville’s Suffocating Defense:
The Panthers flat out locked up on the defensive end and never really let up. Their guards were physical, pesky, and active on the ball. The forwards have superior length, making them deterrents to any drives. They are also an opportunistic group that jumps passing lanes and fuels their offense through their defense in transition. They typically have a size advantage and dominate the glass. When Mehlville is fully engaged and out of foul trouble, they play the type of defense that can spur a team to a deep postseason run.
Takeover Players:
On any given night, there are 3 players in Mehlville’s lineup that can go off for a huge night and will the team to victory. Lamontay Daughtery got things started for the Panthers with a big first half and a 19 point night. Davion Bradford finished things off late for Mehlville, finishing with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and several big blocked shots. We cannot forget Dylan Branson. Despite a quiet performance overall tonight, he is one of the most crafty and versatile scorers in the state who if fully capable of lighting up an opponent. These three give Mehlville a legitimate chance at a deep run, and the fact that they are all junior tells us that the best may be yet to come.
“Hack-A-Bradford”:
In the 4th quarter, Lindbergh deployed the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy against 7-foot phenom Davion Bradford. It worked initially, and Lindbergh went on a 9-1 run to cut the deficit to single digits. He made some big ones late to help seal the victory for the Panthers, but as dominant as he has been this season free throws have been a challenge for the big man. Do not be surprised to see more teams try this strategy if they find themselves down late. The question is, will he cash in when it counts like he did late in the game tonight?
Up Next:
Mehlville moves on to face a very well coached and talented Jackson squad who won the Class 5 District 1 title as well tonight. The game will take place Wednesday, March 6 at 6pm at Jefferson College.