Decatur v Muscle Shoals: Key Observations
Decatur vs. Muscle Shoals: Recap and Observations Recap Team 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q Final Decatur 10 18 33 49 49 Muscle Shoals 12 27 47 67 67 Last night, February 12, it was the championships of…
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Continue ReadingDecatur vs. Muscle Shoals: Recap and Observations
Recap
Team |
1Q |
2Q |
3Q |
4Q |
Final |
Decatur |
10 |
18 |
33 |
49 |
49 |
Muscle Shoals |
12 |
27 |
47 |
67 |
67 |
Last night, February 12, it was the championships of sub regionals for the AHSAA 6A Tournament with a trip to the Sweet 16 at Wallace State Community College between the Decatur Red Raiders versus the Muscle Shoals Trojans. The game was dominated mostly the entire time by the size and tenacity of the Trojans. The Red Raiders never gave up and continued to play hard, but the veteran leadership of the Trojans was too much. Mark Sears and Mikey McIntosh led the Trojans on both ends of the floor and were simply too much. The Trojans will play Friday night in the Regional Tournament.
Key Observations
Mark Sears, ‘nuff said
Mark Sears can play. It’s as easy as that. The junior point guard can flat out ball. He was all over the court the entire night. He forced turnovers, directed traffic all around the court, made big shot after big shot, and constantly crashed the boards. He gave the Trojans a huge momentum boost with a buzzer beater tip-in to end the first half. With four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, he took over. He had a 1-on-1 layup through contact. The next possession he knocked down a three from the wing. He then topped it off with a steal and fast break layup to complete his own personal 7-0 run extending the lead to 19. Expect big things out of him in the next round.
The Trojan Horses
The size of Muscle Shoals was simply too much for Decatur to handle. The Trojans struggled to shoot the ball from the outside the entire game. They changed their style of play and started going inside-out. They were too big down low and it was Mikey McIntosh and Nick Griffith working their tails off the entire game to get position on the block. They were able to open up the court and let the Trojans shoot better, particularly in the second half.
Red Raiders are Resilient
Despite being down the entire game, the Red Raiders never gave up. They continued to make big threes and always kept themselves in striking distance. Even down 19, they dove on the floor for loose balls and kept trying to claw back into the game. As the famous Babe Ruth said, “It’s hard to beat someone who never gives up”.
BOX OUT!
Eliminating second chance points could have completely changed the outcome of the game for Decatur. Too many times, it was Mikey McIntosh crashing the boards and giving the Trojans crucial second chances. With his 6’4” athletic frame, you have to put a body on him and box him out. Muscle Shoals struggled to shoot beyond the arc, but his work down low gave them numerous and numerous second chances.
Defense wins championships
The defense of Trojans was harassing all night. They full court pressed the majority of the team and forced countless turnovers. To hold a team under 50 points will go a long way, especially if the team is shooting poorly from beyond the arc. You know what they say: defense wins championships. Tonight, the Trojans did just that with a subregional championship.