10 Best: Roosevelt (27) at Hoover (35)
Des Moines — In a knock-down, drag-out contest between two crosstown rivals, it was Hoover which came way with more key shots, enabling them to put away the Roughriders 35-27 on Friday night. The Husky win snapped what was a…
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Continue ReadingDes Moines — In a knock-down, drag-out contest between two crosstown rivals, it was Hoover which came way with more key shots, enabling them to put away the Roughriders 35-27 on Friday night.
The Husky win snapped what was a very uncharacteristic losing streak, they had lost three straight coming in, and now find themselves back at .500 with a 3-3 mark.
Roosevelt looked formidable in the eight point loss, but could not come up with key shots when they needed them late. The Riders had been beneficiaries of a relatively easy early-season schedule, and came into Hoover with record of 4-1. They have winnable games against East, North and Ottumwa on the horizon, and will be getting a slew of transfers eligible after that — including 6’8 power forward Cade Moritz (from Norwalk).
Ethan Shafer was hot early and finished with a team-high 12 for Roosevelt, Mhiyu Thomas — who came off the bench in this one — chipped in with 10. Aldreais Campbell and Kenny Quinn were tremendous in helping Doug Wilson in the win — they had 15 and 10 points, respectively. Wilson added 10 points and a slew of blocked shots.
Team Scoring
Roosevelt: 5 8 8 6 — 27
Hoover: 6 11 10 8 — 35
Individual Scoring
Roosevelt (27) — Ethan Shafer 12, Mhiyu Thomas 10, Sudiata Edwards 5
Hoover (35) — Campbell 15, Quinn 10, Wilson 10
MVP: Doug Wilson
It wasn’t a flashy line like many of the other games he’s put together this season. But he did pot in 10 points — which was nearly a third of Hoover’s output. He was hounded in the post, drawing enough attention to allow his teammates open looks. Equally as important, Wilson was dynamic defensively, stymieing Mhiyu Thomas and swatting several shots in the win.
Play of the Game: Doug Wilson Tip-in at Buzzer
Last Friday night at the North/Hoover game, Wilson beat the third and fourth quarter buzzers with 3s — his only two 3s of the year. And then he beat the second quarter buzzer tonight with a tip-in. So three out of four quarters he put in a buzzer-beater, pretty amazing, This one was critical because it gave the Huskies a 17-13 lead heading into the break. And in a game like this, every single bucket was huge — and a four-point lead is a decided advantage.
Hoover's Doug Wilson (again) beats a buzzer, this one sends Huskies into half up 17-13 over Roosevelt #iahsbkb pic.twitter.com/Mjf2smr8Oe
— TJ Rushing (@TjRushing) December 17, 2016
Best Quote: Hoover coach Courtney Henderson
“We did a pretty good job at winning ugly tonight.”
Best Offensive Performance: Aldreias Campbell
He was hot early and he got hot again late, and was essential to a 8-0 Hoover run in the third quarter. Campbell has not shot the ball as well as he would have liked this season, but he was knocking down shots tonight, in key moments too.
Best Defensive Performance: Doug Wilson
Roosevelt’s Thomas is best as a wing, but is certainly capable of dominating in the paint too, against lesser opponents that is. He found very little success down low tonight with Hoover’s menacing power forward Douglas Wilson disrupting shot after shot. Thomas has been great this season, and will be the rest of the way – but he ran into a better player tonight.
Best Underclassmen: Kenny Quinn
This kid is a wily vet, but just a sophomore. He came up with two huge triples, one in the first half and one in the second half, and was tremendous while handling Roosevelt’s pressure. He’s known for his defense, but his offense is coming along very nicely.
Best Player off the Bench: Mhiyu Thomas
Thomas is the best player on the Roughriders, but he came off the bench tonight – so this one is kind of fluky. Nonetheless, he did technically come off the bench to spark the ‘Riders. And despite being outplayed by Wilson, Thomas was one big reason why this game was as close as it was.
Best Shooter: Kenny Quinn
His offense has come along very nicely, and by my count he made every shot he attempted. He had this to say after the game: “What we’ve been talking about with coach is being patiently aggressive. So we just pass it around, and we don’t take the first good shot we get, we want to take a great shot.” And when Quinn got his “great” shots, he knocked them down.
Best Intangibles: Douglas Wilson
He’s an uncanny player around the rim (as evidenced by the tip-in), and his defensive instincts are something that cannot be taught. He’s undersized at 6’6, but his leaping ability and intangibles make him a sure-fire D1 prospect.
Story to Watch: Roosevelt with Transfers
Roosevelt kind of his the jackpot this season. They were already putting a formidable team on the floor, with guys like Thomas, Shafer, Edwards and others, and they have a stable of transfers that will become eligible in January after the break. Lucky for the ‘Riders, their schedule early was pretty easy, and they’ll likely be 5-2 heading into the break. Then, when they get Moritz and some other transfers eligible, the schedule gets tougher (Centennial, Hoover, Dowling, Johnston) — so that seemingly worked out well. Watch out for the ‘Riders.