10 Best: Alonso vs. Nature Coast
Tournament host Nature Coast defeated Alonso 52-34 Friday night in the fourth annual Nature Coast Christmas Tournament. The Sharks captured the championship in Bracket A. Junior guard Robert Mcafee totaled a team-high 16 points for Nature Coast (14-0) while Christian…
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Continue ReadingTournament host Nature Coast defeated Alonso 52-34 Friday night in the fourth annual Nature Coast Christmas Tournament. The Sharks captured the championship in Bracket A.
Junior guard Robert Mcafee totaled a team-high 16 points for Nature Coast (14-0) while Christian De Leon finished with a game-best 18 for Alonso (7-5).
MVP: Robert Mcafee (Nature Coast)
In this tournament alone, Robert Mcafee has grown leaps and bounds. He came off the bench Wednesday in the opening night of the tournament, showed up on Thursday in the semifinal and did it again on Friday with a team-high 16 points as a starter. Mcafee was attacking at will late in the game for the Sharks which really set the tone for his group.
Best offensive performance: Christian De Leon (Alonso)
Christian De Leon dropped 14 of his 18 points in the first half alone. Nature Coast clamped down on Alonso’s attack over the final 16 minutes which included focusing in on De Leon. However, De Leon fought all night and flashed his offensive skills throughout.
Best defensive performance: Jordan Baxter (Nature Coast)
Senior forward Jordan Baxter played a nice role on offense with eight points. But much like the entire tournament, the 6’4″ 2017 prospect focused a ton in the paint. He had a pair of blocks and seven rebounds in this game. Baxter is a huge piece to Nature Coast’s early season success.
Best distributor: Austin Rivera (Nature Coast)
A quietly dangerous shooter, undersized guard Austin Rivera had five points in this game. He passed the ball around very nicely and set up open shots for his team. When the ball was pushed out into open space, Rivera was there to make a play.
Best intangibles: Kaine McColley (Nature Coast)
After being the main scorer the first two days of the tournament, senior forward Kaine McColley had nine points in Friday night’s win. The shots weren’t falling in the first half, but as the game moved on so did McColley as he fought through adversity. He’s a very talented shooter.
Best under-the-radar performance: Kamalii Findlay (Alonso)
Sophomore forward Kamalii Findlay is still developing as an offensive player, hence his three points against a tough defender in Jordan Baxter. Findlay stepped up and played lock down defense for the Ravens not allowing much from Nature Coast in the paint.
Best catch and shoot guy: Christian De Leon (Alonso)
De Leon plays fast. When the sophomore gets up and down the floor, you have to watch out. He finds openings in defenses especially in the corners. The 5’7″ guard may not look big, but he was hitting just about everything from outside with his 18 points.
Best underclassmen: Sager Cavalier (Alonso)
For sophomore forward Sager Cavalier, he didn’t get on the stat sheet until late in the fourth quarter. However, he served as a nice piece off the bench for Alonso. The 6’3″ 2019 prospect had two points in this game and during the tournament made plays as a dunker and confident defender.
Best energy: Anthony Valante (Nature Coast)
Picking up the pieces for the Sharks this week was Anthony Valante. The 6’2″ senior guard had eights points in this finals win over Alonso. He showed a true knack of shooting from outside and making things happen to get open for those looks.
Best athlete: Robert Gadson (Alonso)
Senior forward Robert Gadson is a big kid at 6’7″ and throughout the tournament, he made his presence felt in the paint. Gadson finished with four points, six rebounds and a block in this game. For Alonso, he’s a threat on both sides of the ball.