Ten Best: Davenport North (75) at Cedar Rapids Jefferson (56)
Atticus Taylor stuffed the stat sheet in the North win Davenport North 75, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 56 After a back-and-forth first quarter, a much improved Davenport North group ran away from Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Tuesday night, cruising to a…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingDavenport North 75, Cedar Rapids Jefferson 56
After a back-and-forth first quarter, a much improved Davenport North group ran away from Cedar Rapids Jefferson on Tuesday night, cruising to a 75-56 non-conference victory.
An exciting first eight minutes turned into the beginnings of a rout in the second quarter, as North’s zone defense clamped down, and their patience on the offensive end paid off in a big way, as they outscored Jefferson en route to a 37-23 halftime lead. They weathered an early second half storm from the J-Hawks, who got as close as seven points, but never any closer than that, and the Wildcats coasted to nice win.
North (2-0) was led by Atticus Taylor, who had 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Three other Wildcats finished in double figures, with V.J. Wilmington adding 17, Jared Beck 14 and Keenan Hollingshed 12. Jefferson (3-1) was led by the guard trio of Kane Kramer (17), Royshawn Webb (11) and Willie Guy (11).
Scoring
Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | F |
Davenport North | 17 | 20 | 13 | 25 | 75 |
Cedar Rapids Jefferson | 16 | 7 | 15 | 18 | 56 |
Davenport North: Atticus Taylor 19, V.J. Wilmington 17, Jared Beck 14, Keenan Hollingshed 12, Max Taylor 7, T.J. Vesey 2, Derek Murray 2, Austin McNeal 2
Cedar Rapids Jefferson: Kane Kramer 17, Royshawn Webb 11, Willie Guy 11, T.J. Kuennen 4, Isiah Smith 3, Blaze Bouzek 3, Kyler Bell 2, Dakota Hulsing 2, Mitchell Hall 2, Dedrick Hawkins 1
MVP: Atticus Taylor (Davenport North)
Taylor stuffed the stat sheet to the tune of 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks, and was dominant on both ends. He controlled the paint on the defensive end, and he showed a little bit of everything offensively. He stepped out and hit a pair of 3s, pulled down four offensive rebounds and scored off a few of them, and he put the ball on the floor and got to the rim for scores as well.
Play of the game: Max Taylor to Jared Beck for the dunk
About midway through the second quarter, North executed a nearly flawless possession against the Jefferson zone, moving the ball from side-to-side, getting it into the high post, and finally a rocket pass from the top of the key by Max Taylor to a wide open Jared Beck, who threw down a pretty one-handed dunk. It extended the North lead to 27-18, but more importantly, showed how this North team has become different than previous iterations – they are patient on the offensive end, looking for good shots instead of just the first available one.
Best offensive performance: V.J. Wilmington (Davenport North)
Wilmington got off to a very strong start, knocking down a pair of 3s and a nice mid-range jumper in the first quarter, eight of his 17 points. A strong, physical lead guard, he’s capable of getting to the rim and scoring and his jumper is much improved. He had a very strong showing on this end of the floor, showing a little bit of everything in his arsenal.
Best defensive performance: Atticus Taylor (Davenport North)
We talked about it a bit in the MVP section, but Taylor did a very good job controlling the middle of the North zone and making penetration and shots in the lane tough for Jefferson. His length and athletic ability are fantastic, and he made a few highlight reel blocks from the weakside. We’ll also give a special mention to Max Taylor, who was very good as one of the pieces at the top of the 2-3 zone, using his length to make passes inside tough, and doing a nice job moving his feet.
Best shooter: Kane Kramer (Cedar Rapids Jefferson)
Despite constant warnings of “Shooter!” whenever he even came close to touching the ball, Kramer still knocked down five 3s (5-9) for the J-Hawks. He’s got extended range, good form and a very quick release on the catch. He does a nice job moving off the ball, is squared to the rim and ready to fire immediately. A very dangerous shooter for Jefferson.
Best rebounder: Atticus Taylor (Davenport North)
The game’s leading rebounder, Taylor pulled down four boards on each end of the floor. He’s got great length and bounce, routinely just outjumping and outreaching people to pull down rebounds.
Best passer: Max Taylor (Davenport North)
Taylor collected eight assists by my count, routinely finding openings in the zone and dropping off nice passes, or firing bullet passes through the zone for layups. He’s got good size at around 6-4, allowing him to see over his defenders, and he showed very good court vision.
Best underclassman: Willie Guy (Cedar Rapids Jefferson)
A fairly well built sophomore off-guard, Guy scored 11 points, knocking down three 3s, while also pulling down two rebounds and dishing out two assists. He’s got good range on his jumper, showed good form with nice rotation on his shot, and he’s a heady player who doesn’t make too many mistakes. He should have a very good career with the J-Hawks.
Best player off the bench: Derek Murray (Davenport North)
Murray is a mountain of a young man, and although he only scored two points and grabbed one rebound, he did a great job giving the Wildcats some solid minutes on both ends of the floor off the bench. He protected the ball whenever he had it, made some good passes out of the high post and defended his area in their zone.
Story to watch moving forward: How does North adjust to becoming one of the “hunted” teams rather than being the hunter?
After finding themselves near the cellar of the MAC for as long as I can remember, expectations are fairly high at North this year, and for good reason. This isn’t a team that can be overlooked in the conference anymore, as they’re much more disciplined on both ends of the floor, have athleticism to burn and plenty of talent and versatility in their lineup now. They’ll get the best efforts from teams.