Prep Hoops 10 Best: Holy Family vs. Golden
Pete Villecco must have repeated the words “next play” a couple dozen times during Holy Family’s non-league game against Golden on Saturday night.
The Tigers got the message loud and clear.
Rebounding from a slow start, Holy Family broke out in the second half to beat the Demons 60-53, a huge victory for a team with big aspirations this season.
Golden has three players — all of them upperclassmen — who are 6-5 or taller. Holy Family’s tallest player is 6-3 sophomore Kyle Helbig. Yet, Villeco insists to his team that its “leverage” works in his team’s favor. However you slice it, Holy Family played with toughness even while being undersized and took care of the basketball well in the second half after a sloppy start.
The game had nice pace. We saw why Adam Thistlewood, Golden’s 6-6 junior forward, is getting a lot of buzz as he begins the season. He’s highly skilled for his size and fundamentally sound. And Kayden Sund, the 6-5 Chadron State commit, had some really nice moments in the second half.
But Holy Family got hot behind senior Joe Golter, kept focusing on the next play and emerged with a marquee early season victory.
MVP: Joe Golter, Holy Family
The 6-1 senior hit one big shot after another during Holy Family’s 42-point second half. Golfer scored a game-high 22 points, 18 of which came after intermission. He was also stout on the defensive end. Though Golden’s 6-6 star junior forward Adam Thistlewood certainly had a nice game, the defense of Golter and others on the perimeter forced Thistlewood away from the 3-point line, where he can be very dangerous.
Play of the Game
With Holy Family clinging to a one-point lead a few minutes into the fourth quarter, Golter dribbled a few steps behind the 3-point line, sized up his defender and let it rip. His shot splashed the net to give the Tigers a four-point lead, and the rode that momentum to the finish line.
Best offensive performance: Adam Thistlewood, Golden
The junior scored 17 points with maximum efficiency. He had brilliant footwork with his back to the basket and scored easily when posting defenders. He hit a 3-pointer in transition, scored in transition and got a bucket with a rebound putback. The Division-I level prospect has an impressive arsenal.
Best defensive performance: Golter, Holy Family
He sets the tone with the way he defends the ball. Nothing came easy for the Demons when Golter was on the floor. And his pressure led to a lot of uncharacteristic miscues by Golden’s experienced players.
Best intangibles: Cameron Miller, Holy Family
At just 6-1, Miller is undersized for the forward position he often plays for Holy Family, but he plays with great tenacity. He had a great block of Golden big man Joe Madsen that led to an easy bucket on the other end in the first half. The senior displayed good toughness throughout. “He’s got great heart,” teammate Kyle Helbig said.
Best under-the-radar performance: Jack Moore, Golden
Jack Moore, a 6-1 junior guard for Golden, did a little bit of everything in the victory for the Demons. His steal in the backcourt in the second quarter led to an easy basket for Thistlewood that sparked a 9-0 run. Moore also showed nice range.
Best underclassmen for Holy Family: Kyle Helbig, Holy Family
The 6-3 sophomore plays with a confidence beyond his years. There were several times he grabbed a rebound and ran the break, finishing with a bucket or a pass that put the Tigers into position to score. They didn’t always capitalize, but Helbig set a lot of things up with his play. Golden had a hard time staying in front of him when he put the ball on the floor. And he broke down a pressuring Golden defense twice in the closing minutes with great passes that helped the Tigers hold on.
Best underclassmen for Golden: None
The Demons don’t have any underclassmen on their roster. The group is comprised solely of juniors except for Sund, so this squad is going to be a lot to deal with the next two seasons.
Best Atmosphere: Golden
The Demons come out in candy-striped pants and shirt with the cursive writing that make them look straight out of “Hoosiers.” Then they come out to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” blaring. Plus, Golden has a great student section that is loud and rowdy without ever crossing the line. That gym will be a tough place to play come league season.
Story to watch for Holy Family: Are these Tigers state contenders?
Again, it is VERY early in the season. But there was a lot to like about Holy Family. The Tigers are extremely well coached by Villecco in his staff. They share the ball really well, have great role players like Tanner Baird, who hit clutch free throws in the victory, who do the little things well. And Golter is about as competitive as they come and is a great leader. There are some ingredients that make you think this team could really surprise in 4A.
Story to watch for Golden: Just how good can Thistlewood be?
The only thing we would have like to see more of from Thistlewood is assertiveness. To be clear, early games are often for figuring things out, running offense, identifying roles for players. But Thistlewood showed an ability Saturday night to get to basket virtually whenever he wanted, particularly out of the post. If he continues to have an attack mentality, it’s almost scary to think how much damage he can do this season.