Five Takeaways: Monrovia vs. Indianapolis Scecina
Scecina got out and rolling early on in this game, attacking the three-point line a ton and able to knock down enough to give them a cushion. Monrovia battled back but was never really able to draw even and Scecina held them off in the fourth quarter with a 51-42 win. Cobie Dillard led Scecina with 17 points and 3 steals. Max Newman had himself a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Indianapolis Scecina Is Dealing With Injuries
The next week for Indianapolis Scecina will be one that is key to their season as they will be trying to get healthy before the Indianapolis City Tournament. This game, they were without three of their players, two of which are starters. They are without senior Kobe Clancy and juniors Darrion Tandy and Manuel Brown. Clancy is on track to be back in time for the City tournament but Tandy and Brown are up in the air. They are just above .500 this season and need to get hot but they need all of their pieces to be at full strength.
Max Newman Could Be Post To Watch In 2019
With a really good class in the state in 2019, there will be guys that go under the radar but the one position that never does, post players. You can never have enough and the 6’7 power forward from Monrovia, Max Newman, is one that will draw a lot of intrigue. He’s a big body but very mobile and showed even against a smaller, scrappier group of guards in Scecina, he could put the ball on the floor and drive. He’s also a pretty solid shooter from deep. He’s still got time to improve but already has the look of someone a lot of local colleges could use.
Scecina Could Be Good Beyond This Season
In this game, you obviously saw their talent level this year, even as they were missing a few guys. However, they have a lot of players coming back. Guys like Manuel Brown, David Baker, Dylan New, Matt Funk, and Jayvon Hatton. If any of their younger JV kids step up they could be even deeper. A guy like Armaan Hillman could be one. A lot of the offense in this game came from the Seniors but Hatton was shooting it well from deep and Baker was able to play in the lane. They have plenty of upside in the next year to be very good.
Monrovia Can Be A Contender For Sectional This Year
To this point, Monrovia is 8-5 following this loss to Scecina. They are on a 4-game losing streak as well. However, this is a team that can still be a contender for a Sectional Title this year. The last time they won one was 1999-2000 season. They have shooters in guys like Josh Smith, Chase McCloud, and Jaylen Sprague. They also have a really difficult-to-defend big in Max Newman. In their Sectional, not many teams will be able to matchup with them. Cloverdale is their biggest competition but they have flaws once you get past Jalen Moore. Although, Cloverdale did win their early season matchup by three points. Still, Monrovia has the pieces to get over that hump.
Scecina, Despite Struggles, Can Be Sectional Contender
Coming into the year, we knew Scecina could be really good at to this point they haven’t been. Part of that is cohesion, part is injuries. However, they still have the pieces and path to be able to win their Sectional. No one from the Speedway Sectional has really separated themselves. Park Tudor is still very young, Arlington is 8-3 but largely unproven, and Heritage Christian has shown flaws. With no one pulling away, there is still time but if they can’t get fully healthy, that could be too much.