10 Best: LCA vs. Country Day
Saturday was really the last day for teams to pick up some last minute power points before the playoff seedings come out Monday. Two teams that each could have really used a win were LCA and Country Day. A win…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingSaturday was really the last day for teams to pick up some last minute power points before the playoff seedings come out Monday. Two teams that each could have really used a win were LCA and Country Day. A win for either team could have clinched a top seed in Division IV and III respectively.
It was a back and forth game from the tip, and was largely a game of runs, with each team leading by seven at one point. There were nine total lead changes, and both teams gave themselves a chance to win, but ultimately LCA came away with a big win, with the possibility of getting the top seed in Division IV.
MVP: Greg Williams (LCA)
Now that Galen Alexander is hurt for LCA, Williams should be the best player in every single game that he plays in, and it was no different Saturday. He finished with 18 points, on an astoundingly low six shot attempts, going 12-15 from the FT line. He also dished out 4 assists and had three steals.
Biggest stretch of the game: Greg’s 6-0 Run
With about five minutes to go in the game, it was a one point game with the momentum largely in Country Day’s favor. This is when Greg really asserted himself. First he caught the ball in the right corner, and LCA’s Coach Starks started yelling “Take over Greg. Time to work out.” Everyone on his side of the court cleared out and Greg jabbed right twice before going left with a one dribble pull up that was contested really well. Greg hit it with a foot on the line. Down on the other end LCA got a stop and Greg got a rebound and took it coast to coast with a tough layup. Another LCA stop, another 2 points for Greg Williams, this time at the free throw line, getting fouled in the backcourt. Before you knew it, a one point lead was now a seven point lead, and LCA never looked back.
Best offensive performance: Romin Williams (Country Day)
Romin went toe to toe against the litany of defenders that LCA through at him, and he came out on top more often than not. I thought he had a pretty quiet 17 points, as well as a handful of assists.
Best defensive performance: Caleb Starks (LCA)
The gameplan for LCA seemed to be let Romin get his, because he won’t be able to beat us by himself, and it seemed to work. Starks, LCA’s best perimeter defender, was usually tasked with guarding the Cajun’s second best offensive player, and he completely shut them down. I can’t remember a single play in which Caleb Starks got scored on.
Moment that could have been: Greg’s almost dunk
In the 2nd quarter, Country Day made as grave a mistake as you can make when you are playing LCA, by giving Greg Williams an empty lane to the basket. Greg got a three step head start, getting to max speed, and jumped from 3 feet outside the paint, roaring at the rim. He cocked back and threw his hand at the rim, with his crotch in a defenders face trying to take a charge. The ball hits the back rim and bounces out, but the defender is called for a block. LCA still gets two points out of the play, but if he hits that dunk, I don’t see Country Day sticking around as well as they do.
Biggest 4th foul: Brantley Mock (Country Day)
I’ll be honest, that first half I thought that Country Day played better when Brantley Mock was on the bench, not fast enough to keep up with the pace that either team wanted to play with. However, the 2nd half, Mock put his signature on the game, getting offensive rebounds and dumps downs and finishing around the rim, as well as doing little things like setting screens and blocking his man from stepping over in help side. Mock was a big part of the reason that Country day had a lead heading into the 4th quarter, and when he picked up his 4th foul with about 6 minutes left in the game, he prematurely ended his night, never being able to get back in the game.
Best Underclassman: Kaleb Jenkins (Country Day)
This was really the first time that I have seen Jenkins play, and the super sophomore had himself a game. He does a fine job playing off ball, but when Romin Williams took a seat in the 2nd quarter, Jenkins became the lead guard, and filled in great. I thought that in the first half Country Day played better with Williams on the bench, with the ball moving more, and Jenkins scored 6 points in the 2nd quarter, as Country Day went into halftime with a 5 point lead.
Best guy off the bench: Zachary Clement (LCA)
If all you did was look at the box score, your eyes would scroll right past Clement’s name. He had zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists, went 0/2 from the FT line, but he was as big a reason for the Knight’s win as any. He came in at the end of the 3rd quarter, and gave the Knights some much needed energy off the bench, and right when all the momentum was in Country Day’s favor, Clement got a steal in transition that lead to a bucket for LCA, creating a four point swing and causing Country Day to take a timeout.
Biggest Surprise: LCA played more disciplined
If before the game you would have told me that LCA would be the more disciplined team, I would have called you crazy, but that was exactly what happened. More often than they would have liked, Country Day didn’t let their offense come to them, and forced shots that weren’t there. Country Day took too many 3s, going only 6/21 from beyond the three point line, resulting in a 28% shooting night. When the game was close, too often than not the Cajuns reached instead of keeping their man in front of them with their chest. The Cajuns were called for 20 fouls versus the 12 that the Knights were, and I felt that the game was pretty well officiated. LCA got to the line an astounding 18 times more than Country Day, and that was the biggest difference in the game.
Biggest Takeaway: LCA looks beatable
Look, I mean this in no way as an insult to LCA. For most teams, losing a consensus 4 star and top 150 player in the nation would be absolutely disastrous, and that team would absolutely fall apart. But that isn’t what happened with LCA when they lost Galen Alexander. LCA now has flaws, and it is now a question to whether or not those flaws are exploited in the playoffs. Now, instead of looking like an absolutely unbeatable team come playoff time, they look like only a measly 10 point favorite in a state championship game.