Standouts: University School vs. Lake Highland Prep
A Saturday afternoon tilt turned out to be a prime time fight as the U-School Sharks edged out the Lake Highland Prep Highlanders 86-80. The Sharks used a 31-point fourth quarter to edge the Highlanders after the game was tied up at 55 after three quarters. The match-up concluded a mini two-game south Florida road trip for the Highlanders out of Orlando. Last night, Lake Highland defeated St. Thomas Aquinas 76-37. Once again, the Highlanders hung around with the 3-point shot, draining eleven in the game after hitting twelve yesterday against the Raiders. Lake Highland took its first lead since early in the contest on a lay-in bucket from 2021 center Gabe Ferguson to go up 42-40 with 5:15 left in the third quarter. The Highlanders were up by as many as six before U-School knotted the game up heading to the fourth. Much of the second half featured toe-to-toe baskets from both teams to set up the exciting finish. The Sharks were able to pull away after big contributions from some of its role players during the final quarter to earn its 10th win of the year. The loss drops the Highlanders to 10-3.
Let’s take a look at some standouts:
Roger McFarlane – University School: The 2020 guard might have played his best game of the season and the Sharks needed every bit of it to take down a fantastic effort by Lake Highland Prep. McFarlane finished with a game-high 37 points and chipped in with six rebounds. The six-foot-four senior showed off his versatility by scoring on every level of the basketball court. On lay-ups, McFarlane used his body well to finish at the rim. When he needed a 15-foot jump shot, he was able to extend his release and hit that as well. From deep, McFarlane connected on four 3-pointers. Overall, the senior went an impressive 14-for-22 from the field. During one exciting sequence, McFarlane and sophomore Brice Sensabaugh for the Highlanders went shot for shot on long range attempts. If I were McFarlane, this is a game I would want to send out to college scouts. He currently is receiving strong interest from many mid-majors including Appalachian State. The senior continues to improve his stock and I expect bigger fish to start sending him letters in the mail. An A+ performance out of him.
Brice Sensabaugh – Lake Highland Prep: If not for McFarlane, Sensabaugh would have been the story of the game after scoring a team-high 17 points last night against the Raiders. In all fairness, this was a step up in competition and the 2022 forward delivered with 22 points on 8 of 16 from the field. In the second half, Sensabaugh got the three working with four 3-pointers. Early on in the game, the 3-point shot was not quite on for the Highlanders and the six-foot-four forward led the way with buckets in the paint and off Shark turnovers. Lake Highland was only down five at halftime and I thought his effort was key to keeping the game close when the teams bread and butter shooting got off to a slow start. Sensabaugh is going to be a special player and someone to keep an eye on moving forward. He currently has an offer from Southern Methodist.
Caelum Ethridge – University School: What was the difference in the Sharks six-point edge in the fourth quarter? For starters, Ethridge was a huge part of it. The 2022 guard scored all of his 11 points in the final quarter, including a pair of 3-point shot attempts. Ethridge would also seal the deal late with five three-throws for the Sharks. I witnessed Ethridge last year playing junior varsity as a freshmen and thought he had the potential to make a contribution this season for University School on the varsity level. A game like this can only boost his confidence.
Jared Berry – Lake Highland Prep: I was impressed with 2022 point guard on two levels over the course of two days. For one, Berry is a very good defender who can use his quickness sideline to sideline to disrupt offensive sets in the half-court. Tonight against the Sharks, Berry chipped in with 12 points and had eight assists. When he gets out on the fast break, the sophomore has great acceleration and jump off his feet to finish at the rim.
For any South Florida hoops news or information…please contact Michael Costeines @steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.