Five Takeaways: Centerville vs. Xenia
In the sectional final on Friday night, Centerville held off a 4th quarter rally from Xenia to advance to the District title game against Mason next Saturday. Below I will highlight five takeaways I had from the 63-51 win for…
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Continue ReadingIn the sectional final on Friday night, Centerville held off a 4th quarter rally from Xenia to advance to the District title game against Mason next Saturday. Below I will highlight five takeaways I had from the 63-51 win for the Elks.
Samari Curtis (2019) took awhile to get going
In a game where we expected Curtis to put on a show, it took three quarters before we saw his output increase. With Jason Sneed (2019) guarding him all night, Samari was unable to get any open shots off and as a result, was forced to take contested shots throughout the night. Curtis ended with 24 points, but it was one of the toughest games he had.
Centerville finalized their sectional run
Some people questioned if Centerville deserved the #1 seed but one thing is for sure, the Elks are one of three teams from Dayton that will advance into the District title. Coach Brook Cupps has this team playing their best basketball and now with the win today, has finalized a sectional championship for Centerville. The focus now shifts to facing Mason next weekend.
Ryan Marchal (2019) and Matt Pearce (2019) showed why they are leaders
The starting backcourt for the Elks, Marchal and Pearce were great on the offensive end. Pearce has a great jump shot, and especially dangerous pulling up from the free throw line extended. Marchal has done such a better job since I first saw him handling pressure and being a floor general on both ends of the floor. The result has been the winning trend the Elks are on. With these two leaders, Centerville could pull out a win out against Mason.
Mo Njie struggled
Although Njie has improved since the first time seeing him, it was apparent Mo was not playing his best basketball tonight. Xenia fronted him on the defensive end not allowing the entry pass. When Njie did get the ball, he struggled to score in traffic and found himself in foul trouble early in the 3rd quarter. Although Mo has continued to improve , he still has another season to get even better.
Hoosier was Xenia’s GTG
With Samari Curtis struggling all night, it was Dylan Hoosier (2019) that ultimately provided most of the scoring output early on. A smaller point guard, Dylan was able to attack in the half court and finish in traffic. I was concerned with how much dribbling Hoosier did and how he failed to make the extra pass at times. At the end of the day, Xenia needed another player to step up and Dylan did. Unfortunately it just was not enough.