Scouting Reports: St. Paul’s vs. Franklinton (Video)
A November 19 matchup between St. Paul’s and Franklinton wasn’t the closest contest of the Covington Tournament but there were certainly some impressive plays made on both sides of the court. The Demons hung around in the first half trailing…
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Continue ReadingA November 19 matchup between St. Paul’s and Franklinton wasn’t the closest contest of the Covington Tournament but there were certainly some impressive plays made on both sides of the court. The Demons hung around in the first half trailing 36-28 at the break but St. Paul’s pulled away for a 77-57 win (video). The Wolves will be serious contenders in the playoffs with a deep roster and Franklinton is led by a force to be reckoned with in 2019 F Tylan Pope.
St. Paul’s Wolves
The quartet of 2017 G T.J. Bedford with 2018s Parker Edwards, Devonte Allen and Chandler Owenby will be too much for many teams to overcome in 2016-17. The Wolves went 31-2 last season with a trip to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs and only lost one significant piece in 6-foot-8 center Harrison Prieto.
In their matchup against Franklinton in the Covington Tournament, Bedford, Edwards and Allen were the catalysts and Bedford wasn’t even 24 hours removed from the football field. The 6-foot-2 guard is also a standout receiver for the Wolves, who lost to Evangel, 28-21, in the Division I Quarterfinals the night before Saturday evening’s game.
Bedford came off the bench but still put up 18 points, 14 of which came in the second half. He looked rusty at times as expected coming off the football field but relentlessly attacked the rim showing off his ability to change speeds quickly to get in the paint and the strength to finish once he got there. Bedford also had a huge dunk in the fourth quarter rising over a defender off a pass from Allen and threw it down with authority (video).
Edwards was the most efficient scorer for St. Paul’s putting in a team-high 23 points and he was a consistent presence throughout the entire game. The 6-foot-2 G/W is a smooth scorer that can get it done in a variety of ways. He’s never shy about pulling up from long range and he also has a proficient midrange game. The lefty also isn’t afraid to take and make contested shots and he can get to the rim and finish in traffic as well.
While Bedford and Owenby got it done on the perimeter, Allen and Owenby anchored the paint. Allen provided the offensive pop in the paint as a scorer with 13 points while Owenby supplied the defense. Allen showed off a couple of impressive spin moves that got him in the lane for some sweet finishes and Owenby used his 6-foot-7 frame to block shots and stay active in the passing lanes. 2020 5-foot-7 guard Bill Leahy IV also did a solid job running the point for St. Paul’s and will be a player to watch in the future.
STP was off to a 4-0 start this year with wins over Franklinton, Lake Area (77-65), Warren Easton (58-39) and Parkview Baptist (81-63) but lost to De La Salle on Saturday, 90-84, in a double-overtime thriller.
The Wolves went into halftime with a 43-27 lead but the Cavaliers stormed back to tie the score at 54 going into the fourth quarter. Edwards was the team’s leading scorer with 25, Allen had 23 with 10 boards, both Owenby and 2017 G Tyler Babcock had 9 points and Bedford put up 18 with a team-high 14 rebounds.
Franklinton Demons
Tylan Pope was an absolute BEAST against St. Paul’s and was the Demons’ high scorer by a wide margin with 25 points. The 2019 6-foot-5 forward went up with force every single time he got an opportunity to finish in the lane and had two big dunks in the contest.
He was also eating up rebounds at an alarming rate and rises over opponents ripping the ball out of the air with both hands for every board. There won’t be many forwards who can contend with him this season and Pope’s play with Elfrid Payton Elite over the summer has served him well.
2017 6-foot-2 G Sam Smith and 2018 6-foot-1 G Resean Hart will also be key contributors on the team as slashers on offense and long defenders on the perimeter defensively. Both scored 8 points each against St. Paul’s and the Demons are currently 2-4 this season with wins over Fontainebleau and Northshore.
Fontainebleau Bulldogs
Fontainebleau also participated in the Covington Tournament and I caught a bit of them in a matchup against Loranger. 2017 6-foot guard Roy Ford stood out with his ability to put the ball in the basket and he finished with 29 points including 6 shots from behind the 3-point arc in a 63-31 win over the Wolves. Fontainebleau is currently 6-1 with their only loss coming to Franklinton, 66-63, but they also beat the Demons in a later matchup, 50-41.