Five Takeaways: St. Frances vs Boys’ Latin (MIAA A Conference Semifinals)
Last night, the MIAA A Conference Semifinals took place on the campus of Boys’ Latin. The No. 1 Lakers would play host to No. 2 St. Frances. Both teams were riding with confidence after their first-round victories, but St. Frances…
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Continue ReadingLast night, the MIAA A Conference Semifinals took place on the campus of Boys’ Latin. The No. 1 Lakers would play host to No. 2 St. Frances. Both teams were riding with confidence after their first-round victories, but St. Frances came out like a team on a mission from the opening tip. That mindset would help them to a statement win by a final score of 81-47.
Here are five takeaways from the game:
Ace Baldwin puts together yet another outstanding overall performance
Baldwin has refused to guard anyone but the opposition’s best player in the past few weeks. He’s made them down a personal responsibility. Is it to prove a point? Is it just him wanting to become a better overall player? Whatever the answer is, head coach Nick Myles will take it because it makes his team that much harder to beat. Baldwin was sticking to Cam Spencer like glue last night. Spencer scored 18 points, but it was a very difficult 18. Considering he just put up 39 on Glenelg in the semis and has been averaging 25 points per game this season, holding him to 18 is an accomplishment. But Baldwin let his impact stop on the defensive end. He had what was the best shooting performance I’ve seen from him, nailing six three’s on his way to a team-high 21 points. All of his three’s came off the dribble, most of which occurred when it was looking like he was trying to dump the ball inside. His defender would back off a little so that they could help in the post. When they’d take that retreat step, Baldwin would lock, load and hit his target. The 6-foot point guard also did a great job of spotting mismatches and taking advantage of them.
Spencer did whatever he could to keep his team in it
As stated in the previous takeaway, Baldwin’s sole responsibility seemed to be taking Spencer out of the game. He didn’t get many open looks from three, but converted on two, finishing with 18 points. Six of his 18 came from the free-throw line, while the other six came from strong drives to the hoop. St. Frances’ defensive was extremely aggressive, so Spencer did a nice job creating contact when he’d drive or dribble out on the perimeter to force the referees to make a call. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and his surrounding cast couldn’t step up when he needed them to.
Chad Brown supplies huge minutes as a starter
Brown has been the unsung hero for this St. Frances team. Brown, a football player, comes in and supplies the Panthers with tough-nosed defense and nonstop hustle. In the playoffs, it’s all about match ups, so the coaching staff felt it was in their best interest to start the 6-foot-1 guard to harass Boys’ Latin’s ball handler throughout the game. Brown did just that, but also acted as a sniper by knocking down four three’s. Every made shot was just added currency for St. Frances and it also helped pick the energy up for an already dialed-in squad.
Jamal West flexes his muscles
West is now averaging 27.5 points in the MIAA Playoffs thanks to a 41-point outburst in the opening round against Annapolis Area. He finished with 14 in this contest and proved yet again to be a match up issue. There just wasn’t anyone on Boys’ Latin that could guard him considering 6-foot-6 Jake Nichols had to guard Jason Murphy. West got his fair share of touches on the block with a guard on him. He proceeded by bullying them to the rim and finishing along with crashing the offensive glass hard when someone else shot it. Since being a non-factor in the regular season finale against Mt. St. Joe, West has been a man on a mission. St. Frances will need him to stay that way.
Defense. Defense. Defense.
We can drool over offense all we want, but they key to today’s game remains the same: defense. St. Frances locked in as a team last night and held an explosive offense to just 47 points. The guards in Baldwin, Brown, Rajeir Jones and Jordan Toles were instrumental in pressuring the ball and making the Boys’ Latin guard uncomfortable. The backline guys in West and Murphy were extremely effective in hedging on-ball screens aggressively. Murphy especially did his work by making weak side rotation and blocking shots, helping spark transition opportunities. Coaches dream for the day that their team moves on a string defensively as the ball moves. That’s exactly what the Panthers did last night. They’ll need to do so Sunday in the MIAA Championship game against Mt. St. Joe, a team that has gone 2-0 against them this season. Buckle up, because this one will be fun.