Five Takeaways: McDonogh vs Concordia Prep
In the first game of the 2019-20 high school basketball season, the McDonogh Eagles traveled to Concordia Prep to take on the Saints in a battle between MIAA A and C Conferences foes. The Eagles came out on the winning…
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Continue ReadingIn the first game of the 2019-20 high school basketball season, the McDonogh Eagles traveled to Concordia Prep to take on the Saints in a battle between MIAA A and C Conferences foes. The Eagles came out on the winning side of things by a final score of 59-33.
Here are five takeaways from the season opener.
Cooper finds his mark
Everett Cooper led the Eagles with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. The Eagles have a couple of young guards in ’23 Mathani Paul-Swinson and ’23 Carl Carrington who can fill some ball handling duties, which means Cooper slides off the ball and becomes more of a scorer. Cooper shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and did a nice job of finishing in transition throughout his 19 minutes of play.
Billups starts the season off strong
Jared Billups didn’t take long to make his presence felt. The 6-foot-6 junior finished with a stat line of 14 points, 11 rebounds and two assists. Billups was efficient as a scorer, going 6-of-9 from the field. He was a constant threat in the mid-range and painted area, while also being a big presence on the glass and a good decision-maker with the ball. For the Eagles to reach their full potential, Billups will have to be a do-it-all type of player. It’s only the first game, but he seems up for the task.
Stewart and Carter bright spots for the Saints
Two guards in 2021 Justin Carter and 2022 Oryne Stewart had solid efforts despite the loss. Carter acted as a playmaker off the dribble. The 6-foot-1 junior finished with a respectable nine points, five rebounds and three assists. Stewart provided an outside shooting threat and led the team with 12 points and six rebounds.
Eagles get production from bench in lieu of missing a couple of starters
McDonogh was without 2022 forward Preston Howard and 2020 wing Curtis Jacobs, two impact starters. Ethan Robinson was one who came off the bench and provided a spark be creating turnovers and earning some lay-ups in transition. ’22 center Dani Dennis-Sutton was limited in this game considering after competing MIAA A Conference championship game this past Saturday on the football field along with Howard and Jacobs. Nevertheless his size was overwhelming for the Saints inside.
Saints have a good make up for their conference
Concordia Prep was missing their 6-foot-5 forward tonight, but they have a couple of nice pieces that should fare well in the MIAA C Conference. Another encouraging thing to see was how hard they play. They’re extremely active defensively and caused a handful of turnovers off well executed traps. It’s valuable for any team that may lack in the talent department to always give 100 percent effort. That alone will give them a chance to make some noise in the C Conference.