10 Best: Richwood 67, Neville 63
These two teams played to overtime in last year’s regular season finale and delivered yet another entertaining tilt. There was a nice back and forth to it for a while – Richwood would feel in control, but then one would…
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Continue ReadingThese two teams played to overtime in last year’s regular season finale and delivered yet another entertaining tilt. There was a nice back and forth to it for a while – Richwood would feel in control, but then one would look up at the scoreboard five minutes later and find Neville down by two – but ultimately, the Rams made the plays down the stretch and the Tigers didn’t respond enough times.
MVP – Joseph Smith, Richwood point guard. He was silent for most of the game, but when the game was tight, he came alive with what I’m calling the Play of the Game. So, keep going to read about how he got MVP honors.
Play of the Game – Fourth-quarter surge by Richwood’s Joseph Smith. It was a really tight game in the fourth quarter until this guy finally woke up in the fourth. Smith dished a nice alley-oop assist that got the crowd going for the entire fourth quarter, then hit two crucial 3’s that put the Rams up by six with roughly six minutes left; Neville never tied the game after that.
Best Offensive Performance – Neville’s D’Anton Ross. The Tiger offense was slow for most of the first half except for him, so his 15 points were really the primary thing keeping the Tigers within striking distance for most of the game. He knocked down one 3-ball and a pair of free throws, but most of his scoring came from getting to the rim, a few times doing so so quickly in transition that he was uncontested.
Best Rebounder – Malachi Hunter, Richwood. He hit the 10-point mark early in the third quarter and did almost all of that off of offensive rebounds. If Richwood continues to shoot the 3-ball like it did last night, his offensive rebounding could be one of the secret factors in making this Richwood team better than last year’s.
Best Underclassman – Neville forward Henry Steele III. He’s skinny for 6’3” but man this boy can play; if he wasn’t basically the only underclassman to get significant run in this game, he surely would’ve made this Best Of list in some other category. He’s a very athletic shot blocker – which he has to be with his body type, but still – and shows no hesitation in getting involved in the transition game. He also flourished a beautiful 3-point shot, making his first attempt and throwing up a few more that looked good but didn’t fall. I can’t wait to see more of this kid.
Best Guy Off the Bench – Chuncy Mason Jr., Richwood guard. Really, this would go to D’Anton Ross if I didn’t just award him Best Offensive Performance. But still, Mason knocked down a couple of 3’s off the bench, which was huge for Richwood in what was overall a very balanced offensive effort. His 3’s forced Neville to keep its defense expanded, opening lanes for rebounders like the previously mentioned Malachi Hunter.
Best Under-The-Rader Performance – Richwood guard Xaiven Blakely. Blakely hit a few 3’s to keep Richwood’s offense consistent throughout the game and played a big role in the defensive effort, too. (More on that in the next Best Of nugget.) He did not have a notable impact in the closing stretch, but his play in the early goings gave Richwood the cushion it played most of the first three quarters with in the first place.
Best Coaching Decision – Richwood keeping the pressure on Neville’s backcourt. Neville’s ball handlers did not look very good in the first few minutes of the game, but coach Phillip Craig, given some time after a few early timeouts, installed a nice press break to get through those problems. But Richwood kept pressuring Neville’s backcourt and it proved to remain effective to a lesser degree for the rest of the game. I remain convinced that pressure played a big part in keeping Neville’s best player, Matt Marx, scoreless in the first half.
Best Comeback Effort – Neville’s Corey Straughter. In his first basketball game after finishing the football season, he took over the final minute of the third quarter with a pair of dribble-drive layups. His first layup officially erased Richwood’s seven-point halftime lead and his second came at the buzzer: he brought the ball up on the final possession and killed a few seconds of clock before going right at his defender.
Best Story to Watch Going Forward – Neville’s development with its football players back. Matt Marx did not have a great game on this night, but he’s expected to be the engine for these Tigers for most of the year; now he has a few more athletes around him to help keep defenses honest. If those guys – Kenderick Marbles and Corey Straughter being the most notable while Bobby Newton nurses an injury – can develop into solid secondary threats, the Tigers could be a tough out by district play.