5 Takeaways: St. Chris vs. Trinity Episcopal
It was a classic Richmond rivalry at Trinity Episcopal last night as St. Chris travelled across town to TES. Not only was this a big matchup from a rivalry and a Prep League standpoint, it was also big in the…
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Continue ReadingIt was a classic Richmond rivalry at Trinity Episcopal last night as St. Chris travelled across town to TES. Not only was this a big matchup from a rivalry and a Prep League standpoint, it was also big in the VISAA D1 rankings as Trinity came in this week at #6 and St. Chris came in at #7.
St. Chris wasted no time as they came out on fire on the offensive end and were stifling defensively. The Saints were 5-for-6 from behind the arc in the first quarter, with their only miss coming on a half court heave at the end of the quarter as they led 21-12 at the end of one. In the second quarter, the Saints started to stifle a little bit on the offensive end, but were still able to hold Trinity to just 15 points in the second quarter and led 34-27 at the end of the half.
In the second half, Trinity stepped up the pressure defensively and started to use their size in the paint offensively to get extra opportunities. Junior guard AJ Williams started to come alive as well as he scored 9 points in the quarter, but St. Chris wing Nigel Green hit his fourth three of the game to beat the buzzer to tie things up at 47 a piece heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter was a little sloppy on both ends, but Williams continued his hot shooting from all over the floor. Duke commit Henry Coleman came up with some big plays on both ends of the floor, and TES was able to come up with some big stops late. They were able to complete the comeback and hold on for a 69-64 win, a big one for them both in Prep League and the VISAA standings.
Here’s a look at some of the takeaways we got from the game.
Williams Gives TES a Much Needed Perimeter Scorer
The Titans have had some very good players over the last few years, but one thing they’ve lacked over those years is a perimeter scorer and that’s what they got when Williams transferred from Varina this year. The 6’1” junior guard is a sharpshooter and while he didn’t have his best shooting game, it was his ability to make shots from deep and from the midrange that really gave them a lift in the second half. He scored 20 of his game high 33 points in the second half, and his shooting ability makes it hard for teams to double the senior big man duo of Henry Coleman and Burke Smith throughout the game. His addition was something they desperately needed from last years team.
St. Chris Frontcourt is a Matchup Problem
Cornell Lacrosse commit Walker WallaceWhile Trinity’s front court of Coleman and Smith get a lot of attention and very well deserved as they’re both committed to division one schools, the St. Chris front court did a good job defending them and their mix of size, athleticism and skill set make them hard to matchup with. 6’5” senior Nigel Green finished with 20 points as he shot it well from deep and showed his athleticism with a few big dunks. 6’6” senior Walker Wallace battled in the paint on both ends and finished well in the paint. 6’9” senior Gill Williamson didn’t have his best game, but he did a good job on both ends battling with the bigs and showed some good playmaking and passing ability as well. When all three of them are clicking, it’s going to be hard to find another group that can matchup with these three.
Coleman’s Intensity is Hard to Match
While the Duke commit didn’t have his best showing, he still came up huge down the stretch and his motor is something that you won’t see from many guys that are ranked as highly as he is. The 6’8” forward was a monster on the glass, and while he had some bang bang calls that didn’t go his way he still continued to compete. He came up with 5 huge points down the very end of the game, and despite not having his best showing he still ended up with 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
St. Chris Youth Starting to Come Around
Last year, St. Chris played four freshman in their rotation, and this year those four now sophomores have shown some great strides in their play. Point guard Keshawn Pulley did a good job for the most part making plays for others and making shots from deep, finishing with 14 points and 7 assists. 6’3” wing Andre Green, who is a big time football recruit, provided some great defense and some strong finishes as well. Point guard Nikkos Kovanes came off the bench and provided some great defense taking 3 charges, and sophomore wing Trent Hendrick provided a spark with 8 points off the bench. The group of sophomores continue to grow together and will be worth watching moving forward.
Possible Prep League Championship Preview?
The Prep League is full of good teams from across the state, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see these two meet again either in the semifinals or the championship. Both teams have rosters to compete with anyone in the league, and it wouldn’t shock me to see both teams with high seeds. St. Anne’s Belfield out of Charlottesville may have something to say about that, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see these two match up again with the stakes even higher next time.