Five Intriguing Prospects: New Town vs Parkville
There’s nothing better than when the last one or two regular season games hold heavy implications for the postseason. Last night at Parkville, this was the case as the Knights played host to the New Town Titans. The winner would…
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Continue ReadingThere’s nothing better than when the last one or two regular season games hold heavy implications for the postseason. Last night at Parkville, this was the case as the Knights played host to the New Town Titans. The winner would cement their spot in the county title game on Feb. 25. For Parkville, this was new territory. Although they had a strong 2018-19 season, this was the first time in some years they were in control of their own destiny. For New Town, this has become a regular ordeal. The Titans were last year’s county championship and this year’s team featured more than a handful of those players who have been through this situation before.
New Town’s experience ultimately reigned supreme as they sent a message to the county with a commanding 75-56 victory. The Titans will face Woodlawn Feb. 25 at SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University.
Here are five intriguing prospects from the contest:
Andrew Mills | New Town ’20
As he did last year, Mills came up big in New Town’s most important game thus far. Against Dulaney last season in a game with the same implications, Mills poured in 33 points as the Titans cruised. Last night he dominated with 31 points that included four three’s. New Town’s attack was evident. They put Parkville in pick-and-pop scenarios over a handful of times in the first half. On three of those occasions, Mills calmly faded to the three-point line after setting the screen and buried triples in the face of his defender. The 6-foot-5 unsigned senior also operated well in the mid-range area on the baseline with his back to the basket. He also manufactured five points from the charity stripe. Mills was key in the the second quarter where nine of his 31 were scored and New Town ultimately gained control of the game going forward.
Malik Scipio | Parkville ’21
Scipio was Parkville’s best player last night as the 6-foot-2 junior led his team with 25 points. He made four three’s and had a number of strong takes to the rim in transition while dodging defenders in the air. Scipio has routinely put up big scoring numbers for Parkville throughout the season as his offensive game starts to develop into a three-level scorer.
Khyrie Johnson | New Town ’21
Johnson stepped up for New Town last night with nine points. It was more of what he did other than scoring, though. The experienced junior brought it defensively and used active hands as Parkville player’s tried to drive the lane, poking the ball loose and sparking transition opportunities. Johnson also made good decisions with the ball by controlling the pace. He didn’t force fast break attempts if his team didn’t have the advantage. The result of that was quality possessions turned into points.
Jordan Strickland | Parkville ’20
Strickland made his presence felt early in this game and helped the Knights get out to an early 17-6 lead. The 6-foot-4 forward was finishing inside as always and scored 13 of his 16 points in the first 16 minutes of play. Strickland was persistent on the glass throughout and made good contests on the ball around the rim without fouling.
Cam Sparrow | New Town ’23
Sparrow finished this game with six points which won’t necessarily ‘wow’ you, but it was the progression that I saw in his confidence that stood out. Early in the season the 6-foot-2 freshman looked hesitant to do pretty much anything with the ball. Last night he drained two huge three’s out of halftime that sparked New Town obtaining such a big lead. There were other shots that Sparrow attempted where he immediately got into his shot off the catch as if he already knew it was the right shot in the possession. Sparrow was also aggressive defensively whether it was rebounding or hustling for 50/50 balls.