BCL Tournament Standouts
The BCL Tournament wrapped up this past Tuesday evening in a thrilling match-up between St. Frances and St. Maria Goretti. While Goretti controlled the game for what seemed like three and a half quarters, St. Frances made a late run…
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Continue ReadingThe BCL Tournament wrapped up this past Tuesday evening in a thrilling match-up between St. Frances and St. Maria Goretti. While Goretti controlled the game for what seemed like three and a half quarters, St. Frances made a late run capped off by a buzzer beating three-pointer to secure their second-straight league title.
For this article, we’ll take a look at the members who were named All Tournament team and the MVP.
MVP- Ace Baldwin (St. Frances ’20)
In their commanding win over Loyola in the semifinal, Baldwin paced himself by being more of a floor general rather than a scorer. Loyola switched to a zone and Baldwin made it a priority of his to find the openings and fitting the ball between them, which resulted in easy looks for teammates. He finished that game with 10 assists, six points, three rebounds and most importantly, one turnover. In the championship, Baldwin was much more aggressive as a scorer. He needed to be. The 6-foot-1 point guard finished that game with 25 points, eight assists, seven steals, and six rebounds. The definition of stuffing the stat sheet. He shot 10-of-24 from the field and 3-of-8 from three, but none of his shots were more important than the three he launched from the left wing fading out of bounds that dropped as the buzzer sounded to propel his team.
Who else? Ace Baldwin game-winning 3. St. Francis wins 71-68. Devastating loss for Gaels. pic.twitter.com/MqYlnv6SL3
— Kevin Dunleavy (@HMailKevin) March 6, 2019
All-Tournament Team
James Bishop (Mt. St. Joe ’19)
Bishop did all he could to keep his team alive in the semifinals against Goretti, but the Gaels from Hagerstown made a late run that Mt. St. Joe couldn’t recover from. Bishop finished with 20 points on on 8-of-17 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 from deep. The LSU commit was tracked closely by the Goretti defense. He had longer, athletic defenders guarding him the entire game and while it caused some difficulty, Bishop showed no matter how you guard him, he’s going to find a way to get buckets.
Przemek Golek (Goretti ’19)
Golek didn’t have a tremendous tournament as a scorer, but he made his presence felt constantly in many other areas. He was key in the semifinal against Mt. St. Joe as a help defender with his willingness to step up and take charges. Golek has hung his hat on that attribute all season long and it’s rare in today’s game. In the final against St. Frances, he started out hot scoring nine of his 14 points in the first quarter and helping Goretti get off to a quick lead. Since Golek is known for his ability to shoot from three, he’d bait the close-out defender with a pump fake and proceed to get into the paint and find open teammates for scores.
Przemek Golek bucket and draws foul. Goretti up 58-55 with 5:59 left. pic.twitter.com/QVJ1eg1Hg3
— Kevin Dunleavy (@HMailKevin) March 6, 2019
Abdou Tsimbila (Goretti ’19)
Tsimbila had a similar tournament to Golek in that he was contained in the semifinal game, but very effective in the final despite the loss. The 6-foot-8 Penn State commit was a beast, recording a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds against St. Frances. Even though he had a decent scoring outing, he was most impactful around the rim defensively with four blocks. When he didn’t block the shot, Tsimbila was forcing St. Frances players to distort their shots around the rim, which resulted in misses.
3 Quick buckets by Abdou Tsimbila including this slam. Goretti up 43-40 pic.twitter.com/8WFSgJDOAu
— Kevin Dunleavy (@HMailKevin) March 6, 2019
Jamal West (St. Frances ’20)
Ever since West had his worst outing in the regular season finale against Mt. St. Joe, he’s been on a complete tear. His tear continued in BCL Tournament play finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds against Loyola and a game-high 28 points and nine rebounds in the championship game. At 6-foot-5, Tsimbila had an obvious height advantage on West. And while Tsimbila played effectively on West for a few possessions around the rim, West won the war and was the main factor in St. Frances staying close throughout the game. He may stand 6-foot-5, but when you take account his activity on the glass and his overall motor and energy, he has the impact of a 6-foot-8 forward inside.
RJ Blakney (Goretti ’19)
Blakney’s best performance came in the semifinal match-up when he had no regard for human life. The 6-foot-5 guard recorded 29 points, 11 rebounds and five steals in the win and simply couldn’t be stopped when he drove to the rim. A big criticism in Blakney’s game is his three-point shot, but throughout the tournament, he finished 4-of-7 from deep. In the championship, he cashed in on 3-of-4 from three and a couple were in off the dribble, step-back fashion.
RJ Blakney with his third 3 of the half. He has 11 points and Goretti leads 35-34 at break. Jamal West has 17 for SF. pic.twitter.com/g0OjmyU9rS
— Kevin Dunleavy (@HMailKevin) March 6, 2019