Tuesday Night Transition: Tri-Cities and Alexander tussle in a good one
While temperatures outside west of Atlanta reached some of the lowest of the calendar year, the crisp night air did little to cool off a blistering Tri-Cities attack, as the unbeaten, defending 6A state champs went into a very tough…
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Continue ReadingWhile temperatures outside west of Atlanta reached some of the lowest of the calendar year, the crisp night air did little to cool off a blistering Tri-Cities attack, as the unbeaten, defending 6A state champs went into a very tough atmosphere at Alexander and showed why they are without question one of the state’s premier clubs in a 92-84 win.
Alexander boasts an array of talent of their own and will be a factor in the postseason for sure, but seven Tri-cities players populate our rankings from 2020 to 2022, and it was easy to see why.
Peyton Daniels (Tri-Cities), PG – Outside of Grayson’s Caleb Murphy’s transcendent night against McEachern last Saturday, Daniels’ performance against a really solid Cougar backcourt was the best I’ve seen this season. Every aspect of the 6-2 junior’s game impressed, particularly his ability and willingness to slice into the lane for finishes, drawing contact but powering through most of it. When he wasn’t blowing by defenders or breaking ankles with crossovers, he simply stepped back to the 3-point line for a number of crucial daggers on the night (5 total for the game). He anchored Tri-Cities relentless full-court pressure defense as well, and was a key cog in the 4th quarter where the Bulldogs held off Alexander runs, getting 18 of his game-high 37 in that final frame. He’s an exquisite talent that will be among the state’s best heading into his final season next year.
Demetrius Rives (Tri-Cities), SF – The lone senior of the seven we feature in our rankings, the 6-4 Rives, like Daniels, showed a little bit of everything and loads of confidence in proving too much for the home team. He has good size to mix it up in the middle and on the glass, handles the ball extremely well on the wing, and of course like virtually all his teammates has terrific range, forcing the defense to extend to near uncomfortable distances from the basket. He asserted himself in the 2nd quarter, getting 11 of his 15 and doing it both inside and out and is the kind of inside-outside talent that can carry this squad if Daniels is being bottled up.
Davon Cottle (Tri-Cities), SG – Cottle, a stout 6-2 junior, is the classic modern-day, spot-up bomber who cannot be given a clean look, and he suits this Bulldog team extremely well in that role alongside the penetrator Daniels and his brother, back-up point man sophomore Simeon Cottle, who came off the bench and was also impressive at both ends totaling 9 points, 7 coming in that pivotal 4th. quarter.
Julius LymonJulius Lymon, Mario McIntosh, Eli’sha King (Tri-Cities), F – Perhaps not stuffing the stat sheet on this night but no less critical to Tri-Cities success are 3 more juniors in Lymon, McIntosh and King, part of a versatile frontcourt rotation for coach Omari Forts. Lymon and King bring the size at 6-6 each and can play facing up or back to the basket. McIntosh floats among the forward positions, and at 6-4 and very athletic, quietly gets a lot done on the floor at both ends.
Jaylon Brown (Alexander), PG – Taking it right at his more heralded opponents was the 6-2 Brown, a lightning-quick, wiry strong ballhandler extraordinaire who like his opposite Daniels, did a little bit of everything really well on the night to impress. He had to work hard for his team-high 20 points, but did it from all spots, knocking down a 3, getting into the lane for pull-ups and cutting his way to the rim for lay-ups. He worked equally hard setting Alexander’s array of spot-up shooters as well, and it was easy to see why he checks in at #74 on our 2020 rankings list.
Bryce Robinson (Alexander), C – I was highly anticipating seeing Alexander because of the roster’s apparent versatility, and the 6-7 Robinson was the inside presence to complement the Cougars’ outstanding guard and wing options. He displayed no reticence in going up against a deep and athletic Tri-Cities frontcourt, and showed himself more than capable on the low block, finishing with a solid 15 points and proved an active presence on the glass as well. Any postseason run will rely heavily on the contribution of the senior center.
Xavier ThorntonXavier Thornton, Marvin McGhee III (Alexander), W – Thornton, a junior, and McGhee, a senior, formed with Brown a very effective 3-guard look, as the two gunners camped out near the 3-point line and found themselves with a slew of good looks in coach Jason Slate’s offense. Thornton, in particular, has a taste for the long ball, netting six 3’s on the night for all of his 18 points. McGhee had a pair of triple among his 10 points, and I really liked his all-around effort on both ends and maturity alongside classmate Brown.