Prep Hoops 10 Best: John Marshall vs. Armstrong
Two weeks ago I covered the Richmond rivalry of John Marshall and George Wythe, and yesterday I had the pleasure of watching another big rivalry in John Marshall and Armstrong. JM, who’s ranked #8 in the Vantage Hoops Power Poll,…
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Continue ReadingTwo weeks ago I covered the Richmond rivalry of John Marshall and George Wythe, and yesterday I had the pleasure of watching another big rivalry in John Marshall and Armstrong. JM, who’s ranked #8 in the Vantage Hoops Power Poll, was pushed to the limit by Armstrong, as they trailed 34-22 at halftime. After things got chippy and were called much closer in the third quarter, the Justices went on a huge run to close the gap to 45-41 at the end of the third. The game was exciting down the stretch, as the teams went back and forth before JMU commit Greg Jones hit the go ahead three with the 2 seconds left. An Armstrong heave came up short, and the Justices escaped 57-54 in one of the best games of the early season so far.
MVP | Greg Jones | John Marshall ’17
Jones was phenomenal in the second half, where he scored 24 of his 27 points, including the game winning three that was from at least 25 feet. The James Madison commit was lights out in the second half, and his energy on both ends of the floor was crucial in JM’s comeback effort.
Play of the Game | Isaiah Todd | John Marshall ’20
With the momentum swinging their way in the second half, Todd made a number of plays that helped bring them back. The biggest, however, was when he took a shovel pass off of a loose ball, went the length of the court and threw down a huge one handed slam in transition. The place went nuts, as it was the exclamation point to an 11-1 run by the Justices.
Best Offensive Performer | Greg Jones | John Marshall ’17
Jones was lights out in the second half, leaving almost no doubt when he threw up his game winning three from DEEP. After halftime, Jones was 7-for-9 from the field, 4-for-6 from deep and 6-for-7 from the line. Did we mention that he also had a game winning three from deep?
Best Defensive Performer | Isaiah Todd | John Marshall ’20
Todd has continued to show his promise early in the season, and one of the things that he did really well yesterday was use his length defensively. He was constantly in help side, and showed great timing when contesting shots. He finished with six blocks and two steals on the night.
Best Intangibles | Dominique Finney | Armstrong ’19
Finney didn’t have a great stat line, or a bad one with 11 points and six rebounds, but it was the way that he moved without the basketball that was impressive. He set good screens, was always around the ball on both ends and finished plays at the rim. He also hit his free throws, going 3-for-4 from the line.
Best Under the Radar Performer | Brian Harris | Armstrong ’17
Harris played with a chip, and embellished this rivalry as much as any player. The 5’8” lead guard didn’t back down in any way, and his ability to control the tempo, handle pressure and make plays for others was the main reason that Armstrong was in a position to pull off the upset. He finished with 12 points and 9 assists, and he hit a big three to tie things up with a minute and a half left that would’ve been the biggest shot of the game if it wasn’t for Jones.
Best Underclassman | Marchelus Avery | Armstrong ’19
While Todd would usually win this, we already gave him two awards from the night, and Avery was very impressive in his own right. The 6’6” combo forward finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds, and he scored the ball in a variety of ways that translate well moving forward. He shot it well from deep and the midrange, and he used his length to help on the glass on both ends.
Best Passer | Brian Harris | Armstrong ’17
We mentioned Harris had nine assists, but what’s even more impressive is that he only had one turnover as the primary ball handler. He read plays well, thread the needle for cutters and put his teammates in positions to score easily. His vision and ability to see the game one play ahead is what makes him such a good floor general.
Best Story to Watch Moving Forward
The race for Conference 26 may be closer than we think, as Armstrong was able to give Marshall a run for their money. While Marshall beat George Wythe two weeks ago pretty convincingly, the Bulldogs are a young team that will undoubtedly play their best basketball later in the season. Although JM is the most talented team, Armstrong, Wythe and Hopewell seem to be early season contenders, and if history has shown anything it’s that these teams will not back down from the challenge of playing the top teams in the area.
Best Aspect of the Environment
It just felt like a big game, not just from a crowd perspective but from the coaches and media outlets that were there. Sitting sideline were coaches from Kansas, UVA, UNC, Providence and JMU, along with Virginia Preps and Vantage Hoops covering the game, and Make Playz filming as well. It felt like a big time game from that aspect, and many more.