Five Takeaways: John Carroll vs McDonogh
This afternoon, McDonogh hosted John Carroll for a MIAA A Conference game. In what was an up-and-down affair that favored John Carroll by a final score of 51-43. With the win, the Patriots improve to 9-2 overall and 3-0 in…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThis afternoon, McDonogh hosted John Carroll for a MIAA A Conference game. In what was an up-and-down affair that favored John Carroll by a final score of 51-43. With the win, the Patriots improve to 9-2 overall and 3-0 in MIAA play. McDonogh falls to 9-9 and 3-3 in league play.
We’ll break down five takeaways from this contest.
Tchilombo establishes himself immediately
The Patriots clearly wanted to establish their inside game and 2022 Cesar Tchilombo set the tone. The 6-foot-9 forward had a couple of buckets in the first two minutes by sealing his man deep in the post for eventual hook shots over his left shoulder. Throughout the game, he was a workhorse on the glass both offensive and defensively. He rebounded with tremendous energy and disrupted the McDonogh offense time and time again stepping over as the weak side rotation on drives.
Howard returns with energy
2022 forward Preston Howard missed the first chunk of the season dealing with a concussion from his football season. He quickly showed why the Eagles needed his services all along. The 6-foot-6 forward feasted on the offensive glass and scored 10 of his 11 points in that fashion. He gives the Eagles versatility along with the size that is desperately needed in the frontcourt. Defensively, Howard was responsible for a handful of John Carroll missed lay ups because of his willingness to challenge around the rim.
Commander leads the way
It’s been a common theme to see 2022 guard Tyson Commander lead this John Carroll team in the scoring category at the end of games. Today was no different as the 6-foot-3 sharpshooter recorded a game-high 21 points and mixed his attack up well. All three of his three’s came off the catch. One that caught my eye was when he came off a down screen on the left side of the floor into his quick release. Following his few makes from the perimeter, Commander began attacking close outs and finishes around the rim with smooth, crafty finger rolls. He didn’t force any of his looks and instead took what the defense was giving him. It’s continued proof that he is developing by the game.
John Carroll’s defensive game plan
It was apparent that the Patriots wanted to force McDonogh’s guards into making decisions off the bounce. With applied pressure on the perimeter, they would shade the ball handler and force them to drive into the middle. Time and time again, their guards took the bait only to be denied by a rotating Tchilombo or Joel Turay on the weak side rotation.
They iced all ball screens. Again, making it evident that they wanted McDonogh’s guard to feel tempted to drive into the lane. The guards of John Carroll followed this scheme effectively and as the McDonogh guards penetrated, they would attempt to poke the ball from behind and create turnovers.
Bryant shows worth outside of box score.
I’m aware that myself and Adam Ayalew have become a broken record when it comes to 2021 guard Jalen Bryant‘s ability to impact a game, but I would be remiss if I don’t mention the little things he did in this game to contribute to the win. He was extremely active in the passing lanes and sparked multiple transition buckets for his team. If there’s ever a 50/50 ball, Bryant is hitting the floor first in attempt to gather an extra possession. He plays little mind games with his opponents and did so today with the young guards of the Eagles. The 5-foot-11 combo guard finished this game with six points