Five Best: Davenport North (77) vs. Riverdale, IL (52)
Atticus Taylor paced North with 17 points in the blowout win Davenport North 77, Riverdale (IL) 52 Davenport North used their overwhelming length and athleticism advantage to cruise to a 77-52 win over Riverdale, IL, to open up the 23rd annual…
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Continue ReadingDavenport North 77, Riverdale (IL) 52
Davenport North used their overwhelming length and athleticism advantage to cruise to a 77-52 win over Riverdale, IL, to open up the 23rd annual Genesis Shootout on Saturday morning.
A team with far superior athletes and size, North used those edges to help shoot a blistering 63% from the floor, and outrebound Riverdale 32-13.
North jumped out to a 22-4 lead after one, and the game was never within single digits after the 2:25 mark of the first quarter, as the Wildcats cruised to the easy victory, giving Iowa a 1-0 edge.
North (4-2) was led by Atticus Taylor, who led four in double figures with 17 points. VJ Wilmington had 15, Keenan Hollingshed 13 and Max Taylor added 10 for the Wildcats.
Scoring
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Davenport North | 22 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 77 |
Riverdale (IL) | 4 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 52 |
Davenport North: Atticus Taylor 17, VJ Wilmington 15, Keenan Hollingshed 13, Max Taylor 10, Derek Murray 7, Jared Beck 4, TJ Vesey 4, Zach Hirst 4, Marechal Childe 3
Riverdale (IL): Blake DeClercq 13, Scott Murphy 12, Matt Ibarra 10, Dalton Beale 6, Brett Murphy 3, Jack Barnett 3
MVP: Max Taylor
The vocal leader for North, Taylor was very active on both ends of the floor. He “only” had 10 points, but he was 4-5 from the floor to get those points. He also led the team with six rebounds, had four assists and tied for the team lead in steals with three. It’s also telling that he’s a calming influence as he was often kept in the game when the bench unit came in to help smooth them out, playing a game-high 30 minutes.
Play of the game: Atticus Taylor with the steal, goes coast-to-coast for a one-handed dunk
After grabbing his second steal of the game, Atticus Taylor went coast-to-coast, drove through the middle of the lane and elevated into a powerful one-handed dunk that drew some “oohs” and “aahs” from the sparse early morning crowd. It gave North it’s biggest lead of the game to that point, 48-23.
Best offensive performance: Atticus Taylor
Taylor was highly efficient, scoring his 17 points on 8-12 shooting. A player who is capable of knocking down jumpers, he understood that he could get to the rim pretty much whenever he wanted and did so, whether or not he had the ball. He was always around the rim, either the beneficiary of a dump-off pass, an offensive rebound, or getting there on his own. Special mention to V.J. Wilmington who displayed his solid mid-range game with a number of floaters and short jumpers, and Keenan Hollingshed who was also highly efficient and moved well off the ball.
Best defensive performance: Max Taylor
A pivotal piece at the top of North’s 3-2 zone, Taylor is a long, athletic wing who defends very effectively both on and off the ball. He’s the most vocal player on the floor for the Wildcats, helping direct traffic, and with his combination of size, skill and awareness, he’s a very good defender.
Best statistic: North’s 32-13 edge on the glass
You could also go with the fact that the Wildcats shot 63% from the floor in the win, but we’ll go with this massive edge on the glass as the stat of the game. North had a huge advantage with their length and athleticism, and they certainly used it to their advantage, pulling down nearly as many offensive rebounds (10) as Riverdale had total rebounds (13).