Catmania Showdown (Mead vs. Mt. Spokane)
The gym was packed full and over flowing in some areas around the court as the Mead Panthers hosted the Mt. Spokane Wildcats for the early season rivalry game, dubbed “Catmania”. There was not a quiet moment during this game…
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Continue ReadingThe gym was packed full and over flowing in some areas around the court as the Mead Panthers hosted the Mt. Spokane Wildcats for the early season rivalry game, dubbed “Catmania”. There was not a quiet moment during this game as the crowd roared at every basket and every player truly gave maximum effort, which I do not say or see very often.
First half: Mead’s First punch
Mead jumped out on Wildcats early playing a bruising style of basketball. 2020 6’3 SG Tyson Rogalette helped set the tone for Mead early on. He has a very developed frame that allows him to attack the basket with supreme strength and aggression. He did all of his damage early in the game scoring 6 big points in the first half and just setting the tone that Mead was going to attack Mt. Spokane. Although he was held scoreless in the second half, I enjoyed watching Rogalette’s attacking mentality from the off guard position. 2020 5’11 G Brandon Shoff was huge in the first half, dropping 11 of his 13 points. Mead led at the half, 35-33 with the crowd’s momentum right behind them.
Second half: Tyson Degenhart’s knockout punch
2021 6’7 SF Tyson Degenhart scored early and often, but he saved his best all around performance for the second half. Despite Tyson’s great efforts scoring 22 points in the first half, Mead was still in control the of game. The Boise State commit turned his level of physicality up a notch in the second half, which ultimately was the big difference in the game. He started to control the boards on another level and hold down the paint all around. Despite Mead’s aggressive back side defense on him, he finished around the basket and was quicker to the ball than everyone else on the floor for loose scrambles, that he would oftentimes turn into two points. Tyson would go on to finish with 36 points on the night, reportedly two shy of the school record. Mt. Spokane’s defense finally turned it up as well, holding Mead to just four points in the fourth quarter. Tyson’s and Mt. Spokane’s knockout punch was too much for the scrappy Panthers to handle, as Mt. Spokane would take the victory 72-55.
Other Top Performers:
2021 6’0 PG JoJo Anderson (Mt. Spokane) – JoJo did a fine job of handling the full court press. He had a couple of turnovers, but he handled the ball versus a physical pressure from start to finish. He can pivot out of double teams and he plays the game with his head up. JoJo also chipped in 11 points to help balance out Mt. Spokane’s inside threat of Degenhart.
2021 6’1 G Caleb Wallace (Mt. Spokane HS) – Last year’s Mt. Spokane squad had so many good shooters and this year’s team does not appear to have that same level of shooting quite yet, but Caleb Wallace helps fill that void. He hit a couple of big threes and finished with 8 points on the night.
2021 6’3 PF Kylo Simpson (Mt. Spokane HS) – Kylo is a transfer into Mt. Spokane, but he fits right into what Mt. Spokane needs. He is a strong, athletic forward, although a tad undersized, that will do all of the little things on the court. He finished with just four points, but he had big rebounds, defense and hustle plays all night. He can do things athletically that just can’t be taught. He should only get better with time in the Mt. Spokane system.