Alcoa and Maryville Collide
Maryville and Alcoa clashed Thursday in Alcoa’s gym. Alcoa won with a mighty second-half comeback, 62-51. Read about the players and themes that dominated the night. Speed A fast, high-scoring Alcoa team swallowed some of their own medicine Thursday night,…
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Continue ReadingMaryville and Alcoa clashed Thursday in Alcoa’s gym. Alcoa won with a mighty second-half comeback, 62-51. Read about the players and themes that dominated the night.
Speed
A fast, high-scoring Alcoa team swallowed some of their own medicine Thursday night, as guests Maryville repeatedly surged out in transition. Alcoa, despite their quickness failed to recover with the necessary speed and attention.
Hot shooting from Maryville Rebels.
Jack Brown (PrepHoopsTN #43) was exceptional in transition. A 3 from @Josh_Seiler_ helped.
Up and down Q for Alcoa PG Tai Cates (PrepHoopsTN #30 in '23). He has a good matchup to thrive.
20-13 Maryville leads at Alcoa.
— Prep Hoops Tennessee (@PrepHoopsTN) January 15, 2021
Alcoa wins and will win plenty of games this season with great guard play. Take Tank Jackson, Jahvin Carter and obviously Cates.
Alcoa’s success came from the starters, particularly Tai Cates Tai Cates 5'11" | PG South-Doyle | 2023 State TN . When he began impacting the game through steals and scoring, the game shifted drastically in tone and score. A 14-0 run in the third quarter, had Cates’ fingerprints all over it. Cates made important baskets and continuously pressured Maryville’s young guards. As solid as Maryville’s wings are the point guard play took a mighty step down since the graduation of Joe Anderson Joe Anderson 6'0" | PG Maryville | 2020 State TN . Alcoa capitalized on the varsity inexperience of several Rebel guards.
Credit Alcoa Head Coach Ryan Collins for the persistence despite the halftime hole the Tornados dug.
Ronald “Tank” Jackson (2021) is wonderfully quick and strong. Jackson soared up the floor each time Alcoa forced a turnover. He has a knack for reacting immediately to steals, whether or not they are created by him. Jahvin Carter (2024) – Earned his way to the free throw line repeatedly.
Jahvin’s PrepHoopsTN evaluation from November.
Strong chest as a freshman. Carter plays with great confidence. he can hit his shot from 12-18′ from the basket. He knocked down back-to-back three pointers very early in the second half. Facing Grainger, Carter’s glaring weakness was defensive intensity. Keep in mind this was Jahvin’s very first high school basketball game. Missouri offered Jahvin mid-November. It was his first D1 offer.
These guards tend to create turnovers and thrive in transition. It was much less successful Thursday through the first two quarters, perhaps because Maryville doesn’t play a system that enables this. Maryville’s floor spacing and outside shooting typically comes with few risky dribbles. Tai Cates Tai Cates 5'11" | PG South-Doyle | 2023 State TN and an extension of the Alcoa pressure changed the outcome.
Shooting
Tai Cates Tai Cates 5'11" | PG South-Doyle | 2023 State TN (2023) missed quite a few early 3’s. Always exceptional court vision. Cates found a teammate slashing along the baseline with a probing pass. Though Cates’ pass found a home, the ensuing shot was blocked easily by MHS.
Tai did hit a lovely, high-arching shot midway through the third quarter, pulling Alcoa to within 9 points, down 36-27. And followed that up with a quick and-1 off a fullcourt pressure turnover.
Maryville wing Josh Seiler Josh Seiler 6'5" | SF Maryville | 2021 State TN proudly racked up points in the first half with true shooting from the three-point line and the free throw painted stick. Seiler proved the most consistently productive for Maryville Thursday night. His versatility as a scorer really helped Maryville separate early and hang around late. Jack Brown Jack Brown 6'4" | SG Maryville | 2021 State TN played much more effectively in the opening half.
Jahvin Carter, though an excellent basketball prospect, really struggled to hit makeable shots. On back-to-back fourth quarter possessions Carter missed wide-open 12′ jumpers. Cates did not. In the second half, Tai Cates Tai Cates 5'11" | PG South-Doyle | 2023 State TN hit every imaginable shot. Cates knocked down three-pointers both challenged and unopposed. He finished layups after contact. The sophomore scored in transition. Overall, Cates is the same crafty guard as he was last year with more muscle and basketball confidence. The AAA school simply failed to slow down the superstar when the game mattered most.
Excellent tactical game from Alcoa Head Coach @r2a3c tonight. Alcoa is lead by a coaching star. He really knows how to get his guards in great spots.
Several out-of-timeout plays resulted in crisp execution and "easy" buckets.
— Prep Hoops Tennessee (@PrepHoopsTN) January 15, 2021
Depth
Maryville’s bigs and driving wings dished out two deadly doses. First, the attackers scored quite often in the paint. Secondly, Alcoa’s defenders fouled over and over, so much so that both Brayden Anderson and Jordan Harris sat some with 3 first-half fouls.
#32 Brayden Anderson (2021) – Wily offensive rebounder. Anderson provided Alcoa with, truthfully, their own rebound warrior. Though the guards of AHS helped, Anderson typically found himself among 2-3 Rebels hunting the ball.
Beginning the second half, Alcoa Head Coach Ryan Collins decided to start both Anderson and Harris. It was unwise. Anderson fouled for the fourth less than a minute into the half.
Alcoa entered their locker room down 32-24.
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