Five Takeaways: Poly vs City
Last night, Poly hosted their rival City in a 3A South Sectional semifinal game. In the regular season when these two teams met, Poly won handily, but there is much that can change when it comes to playoff play. City…
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Continue ReadingLast night, Poly hosted their rival City in a 3A South Sectional semifinal game. In the regular season when these two teams met, Poly won handily, but there is much that can change when it comes to playoff play. City had Poly on the ropes, but the Engineers were able to mount a comeback and hold onto a 65-64 lead as the final buzzer sounded.
Here are five takeaways from this game:
Ali’s experience helps overcome deficit
Poly junior point guard Rahim Ali has been playing in high-pressure situations ever since he stepped foot on Poly’s campus as a freshman, so when he saw his team down late in the fourth, he didn’t panic. In fact, throughout the game, he was the one that kept his team in striking distance. The 5-foot-10 floor general finished with a game-high 22 points and scored five of those points in the most crucial times in the fourth quarter. Ali had some turnovers that were very uncharacteristic, but he made up for them defensively and by constantly pushing the pace of the game that helped Poly get quick baskets.
Yates finds his mark from three
I don’t think there’s anyone in the area with the mindset of senior guard Jalen Yates when it comes to shooting three’s. He is without a doubt a volume shooter and if you give him the slightest bit of space, it’s going up. Luckily for the Knights last night, they were dropping as the 6-foot-1 guard finished with a team-high 16 points including five three’s. The biggest one game with under 30 seconds left in the game. Yates brought the ball down court with his team down four. He proceeded by pulling up well beyond the three-point line and as he did, a Poly defender fouled him. The shot dropped, Yates made the free-throw, and the game was tied. The City faithful went crazy.
Lewis struggles, but comes up big late
Poly junior forward Justin Lewis finished with 15 points on the night. He was a menace on the offensive glass and did a nice job of blocking shots in the half court and in transition. Overall, he had a solid game, but Lewis has higher standards to live up to. He could’ve scored well over 20 points, but struggled terribly from the free-throw line. With under 10 seconds on the clock, Lewis drew a foul and went to the line for two with the game tied. After missing the first, he made the second free-throw to give Poly the lead and following a City turnover, the win. Lewis came up big when he had to, but look for him to be a lot more focused on his trips to the charity stripe going forward. If Poly wants to pull off the three-peat, he’ll have to be.
The future looks bright for City
Other than Yates, City will return all of their production next season. Sophomore guards in Darrius Tilghman and Karrell Booker played well last night. Booker was more of a facilitator while Tilghman showed flashes of being a very crafty scorer (13 points). Junior sharpshooter Dominic Carrington will remain one of the top three-point specialists in the area. Sophomore forward Clarence Obijulu had a couple of strong, two-handed dunks and really displayed his motor and athleticism against the Poly bigs. The key will be helping these players learn the game more and be comfortable playing with each other. Many of them share the same types of skill set, but if each can learn to give and take, they’ll be a very tough opponent for the next couple of years.
Poly advances
Poly will host Oxon Hill Wednesday evening in the sectional final. Oxon Hill also won in dramatic fashion after draining a three to defeat a very good Potomac squad. The Engineers can’t afford to get out to a slow start like they did against City. The turnovers they made were very uncharacteristic, and I wouldn’t bet on Lewis missing that many free-throws again. Where they will need to tighten up is defensively. Poly has a ton of length, so playing zone on a high school floor makes it difficult for shooters to find open shots. City made more than a handful of contested three’s last night that put Poly in the position that they were in, but if Oxon Hill gets hot from outside, the Engineers could see the danger zone again. A huge plus that Poly has is experienced players. They know what it takes to win a title. They know the ups and downs that come with every game in the playoffs. Staying the course and playing their style is their M.O. It paid off last night against City.