10 Best: Dulaney vs New Town
In a Baltimore County match up that held huge implications, New Town defeated Dulaney by a final score of 77-66. These two have established themselves as the juggernauts of their division and it seems like every year, it comes down…
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Continue ReadingIn a Baltimore County match up that held huge implications, New Town defeated Dulaney by a final score of 77-66. These two have established themselves as the juggernauts of their division and it seems like every year, it comes down between them to earn a spot in the county title game. There is still the last chunk of the season left to go, but more than likely with this win, New Town will be the featured team from the division to defend their county crown.
Dulaney got off to a lethargic start in the first half and New Town delivered punch after punch to build a commanding 42-18 lead at halftime. The Lions upped their energy and shot making in the second half to pull within six in the fourth quarter, but the Titans remained strong and held them off for the win.
New Town improves to 12-1 overall (4-0 in division play) while Dulaney falls to 9-4 (4-1).
Here is the list of our 10 best from the contest.
1. MVP | Martaz Robinson| New Town ’20
Robinson had complete control of this game from the opening tip. The Delaware State commit finished with a game-high 28 points to go along with seven rebounds and five assists. Robinson’s attack makes the game look effortless. He is shifty when he needs to be on the perimeter, but what he’s trying to do is get his defender on his hip and force the next defender to make a decision. Countless times he did this and worked his way into the mid-range area only to rise up and bury a jumper. He was communicating constantly as the back line of New Town’s 1-2-2 match-up zone defense and made it a priority of getting his team out in transition for scores.
2. Play of the game
In the fourth quarter Dulaney started to gain momentum by the use of a full court press. New Town was uncharacteristically turning the ball over and missing easy shots because they were rushed. One possession that helped them gain back control occurred after a New Town player missed a lay up. Dulaney got the rebound and immediately sprinted with the ball in the middle of the floor. A New Town guard poked the ball to dislodge it and eventually gained control. Standing near there basket at this point was 2020 wing Andrew Mills, who received the pass and rose up for a two-handed flush that ignited the gym.
3. Best offensive performance | Martaz Robinson| New Town ’20
It’s difficult not to choose Robinson for this category considering his final point total and the efficiency in which he scored. The way he operated with the ball in traffic was impressive and when he wasn’t getting to his spots in the mid-range, he was attacking the rim and finishing despite being contested by Dulaney bigs. As a result of his aggression, Robinson drew a bunch of fouls and cashed in on eight of his free-throws on the night.
4. Best defensive performance | Khyrie Johnson | New Town ’20
New Town spent the entire game in their 1-2-2 match-up zone. Johnson played the top man and took responsibility of keeping the ball handler at bay. He guarded 2021 Ryan Conway for much of this game and did so better than I’ve seen most defenders this season. Johnson refrained from reaching and instead, moved his feet and chest to keep position. When guarding Conway off the ball, he was in complete denial and made it extremely difficult for Conway to get the ball.
5. Best guy off the bench | Twan Carter | New Town ’20
Carter didn’t take long to put his fingerprints on this game once he came in off the bench. The 5-foot-10 sharpshooter hit bigs shots in the first half that helped New Town build their significant lead. He took advantage of Dulaney’s slow rotations in the corner as he finished with 11 points. Carter was also active defensively and was successful in poking the ball from penetrating Dulaney players in the paint.
6. Best intangibles | Martaz Robinson | New Town ’20
I wouldn’t be doing my job correctly if I didn’t put Robinson here for this category. The IQ that was on display from him on the offensive end of the floor was at an advanced level. Whether it was scoring, distributing or gaining control of the pace, Robinson contributed to each at an extremely high level of efficiency.
7. Best under-the-radar performance | Jaylin Webster | Dulaney ’21
Webster was a consistent presence for Dulaney last night, but his third quarter helped spark the comeback effort that put them back within reach. The 6-foot guard broke his man down from the top of the key routinely and avoided rotating defenders in the lane where he was finishing lay ups. Webster somewhat quietly logged 16 points in this game, eight of which came in the third quarter.
8. Best catch-and-shoot player | Ethan Anderson | Dulaney ’20
Anderson was another key cog in Dulaney’s big third quarter. The 6-foot-3 guard is a shooter that always needs to be accounted for on the perimeter and the couple of times he broke free he made New Town pay. Anderson finished with eight points and drilled two three’s late. He can get his shot off quickly and used that to his advantage a couple of times by utilizing pump fakes to get sprinting close-out defenders off their feet. Anderson would take one dribble to the side and proceed to bury the shot.
9. Best passer | Cam Bush | New Town ’20
Bush didn’t make one shot last night, but he didn’t allow that to take away his energy from making winning plays. The 5-foot-10 guard is extremely shifty and quick. Routinely he got into the lane and forced the defense to collapse where he would then locate shooters standing free on the three-point line. Sometimes players will force bad shots around the rim just to see one go in, but Bush realized it just wasn’t his night and he maturely focused on getting good shots for his teammates.
10. Best story to watch moving forward
This game featured two of the top point guard in the area in Robinson and Conway. Conway has put up historic scoring outings this season including a 55-point performance in three quarters against Hereford. Without a doubt, those games give him a strong argument for Baltimore County Player of the Year. But then you look at Robinson who hasn’t necessarily put up similar scoring numbers, but remains consistent in every category throughout the year thus far. Will that production and the chance of New Town cementing their spot in the county title game mean more come voting time? We will see.