5 Key Questions: Parkville vs Dulaney
Last night in a packed gymnasium on the campus of Parkville High School, the hosting Knights welcomed the Dulaney Lions for an anticipated Baltimore County match up. Parkville made a run to pull within two points with three minutes left…
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Continue ReadingLast night in a packed gymnasium on the campus of Parkville High School, the hosting Knights welcomed the Dulaney Lions for an anticipated Baltimore County match up. Parkville made a run to pull within two points with three minutes left in the game, but Dulaney remained calm and made plays at critical times to pull away for the 87-78 win. Dulaney improves to 9-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play while Parkville falls to 10-2 and 3-1 in conference play.
Here are five key questions following the contest:
Who stood out for Dulaney?
2020 forward Cam Byers has stepped up in big moments when his team has needed him this season. Last night was no different. 2021 point guard Ryan Conway had a historic outing in Dulaney’s previous game against Hereford as he scored 55 points in three quarters of play. Byers sat out that game nursing an AC sprain in his left shoulder, but the Lions knew they would need him for last night’s game against a tough Parkville squad. Parkville came out in a triangle-and-two defense with the two defenders on Conway. They wanted to force anyone else to beat them and Byers took that personally. He responded by burying four three’s in the first quarter to set the tone early. The 6-foot-5 forward started mixing it up as the game progressed by posting up on the block, hitting a couple of face-up mid-range shots and crashing the offensive glass for second chance opportunities. Byers finished with an impressive 28 points on the night and was key in Dulaney’s ability to withstand runs from the Knights.
Who stood out for Parkville?
It was the normal faces for Parkville in terms of scoring. 2020 duo of Jordan Strickland and John Godinez recorded 22 points and 20 points, respectively. If Strickland wasn’t drawing fouls, he was operating from the block and scoring over his shoulder after one or two dribbles. He also earned a few tough buckets being relentless on the offensive glass. Godinez didn’t get going until the second half, but he was key in bringing his team back within two points late. The 5-foot-9 point guard is extremely crafty, but kept it simple in ball-screen actions as his man continuously went under the screen. Godinez made him pay almost every time by converting a three. On many occasions, Godinez slithered his way into the paint and utilized pump fakes to get the Dulaney defenders off the ground. From there, he’d locate open teammates around the basket or use soft touch on floaters for buckets.
How did Conway respond to Parkville’s game plan?
It’s always interesting to see how prolific scorers such as Conway respond to opposing defensive schemes. It was clear that Parkville didn’t want him scoring at all by throwing not one, but two of their best defenders on him. There are many times where a player will take that as a challenge and force shot just to get going. Conway had a mature approach. Use it to Dulaney’s advantage by standing in the corner or by half court. That way, those two defenders were out of the picture and his teammates would play four-on-three. When Conway did catch the ball, he quickly located his open teammates before the double team could impact his passes. As the Lions started scorching from deep, Parkville had no choice but to call off the triangle-and-two approach. That’s when Conway started to get to work. The 2021 guard finished with 13 points on the night, which is a low total in comparison to the numbers he’s been posting, but 11 of those 13 came in the second half. I was assuming that Conway would start forcing shots even in the second half to get himself going, but it never happened. He stayed even-keeled and continued to find whatever mismatch his team presented. This approach confirmed growth and maturity in Conway’s game.
Despite the loss, what’s to make of this Parkville team?
Parkville entered this game with a 10-1 record. They’re one loss against Woodlawn wouldn’t be considered a “good loss,” so there were still questions even with all of their wins. There’s no argument that head coach Josh Czerski is equipped with talent. Strickland, Godinez, 2021 Darrius Tilghman, 2020 Khalil Dukes, 2021 Malik Scipio and 2023 Jayden Baker will all be players who have the opportunity to play at the next level. Baker has been one of the most impressive freshman in the Baltimore area that no one is talking about. At 6-foot-4, he’s adjusting to the speed of the varsity game and it’s showing in his shot selection. In cruicial moments during the third quarter as Dulaney was making a run to try and pull away, the freshman knocked down two three’s that ignited the crowd and swung the momentum back towards his team’s direction. As he improves, so will this team.
In order for this team to fulfill its potential, valuing the ball will be mandatory. There were too many unforced turnovers last night that against teams like Dulaney, simply can’t happen. This program continues to head in the right direction. It’s now about patching up on little things to help assert themselves as a top team in Baltimore County.
What’s this win mean for Dulaney?
The Baltimore County split of divisions is possibly one of the most embarrassing things I’ve seen. To have Dulaney, New Town, Parkville, Milford Mill and in this year’s case, Pikesville, on the same side is ridiculous. It pretty much ensures that the county championship game will not be the best possible match up. With that being said, Dulaney getting this win means they hold the advantage over Parkville going forward barring a collapse. They already took down Milford Mill, but will still have to face New Town and win to hold their spot in the county title game going forward. Every win from here on out is crucial for the Lions. They’re starting to gel as a team and are improving in moments when adversity hits.