Ten Best: Marshall vs. Minneapolis Patrick Henry
In a matchup featuring two of the top-five teams in Class AAA, it was all Tigers from the start. Zach Bloemker drilled eight 3-pointers and controlled the tempo against Minneapolis Patrick Henry in the third game of the Breakdown Tip…
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Continue ReadingIn a matchup featuring two of the top-five teams in Class AAA, it was all Tigers from the start.
Zach Bloemker drilled eight 3-pointers and controlled the tempo against Minneapolis Patrick Henry in the third game of the Breakdown Tip Off Classic, as Marshall cruised to a 74-42 win.
The Tigers’ size advantage inside was a big factor, and their athleticism seemed to really catch the Patriots off guard. The Tigers pumped up a 25-point lead by halftime and after a brief adjustment to the Patriots’ diamond pressure, coasted the rest of the second half.
MVP: Zach Bloemker (Marshall)
Bloemker had a fantastic game Saturday. He scored 32 points and shot the ball extremely well. Bloemker knocked down eight 3-pointers including four in the final five minutes of the first half. He wasn’t just out there knocking down shots though. Bloemker handled the Patriots’ press and teamed up with Trey Lance in an effort to totally control the tempo. Bloemker also played strong on-ball defense against an athletic group of Patriots guards.
Best Offensive Performance: Mitchell Sueker (Marshall)
Bloemker could get this one too given he was dead-eye from behind the arc but in the spirit of spreading the love, Sueker gets the nod. The 6-foot-8 forward scored 15 points and showed why he’s such a highly rated player. Sueker showed off impressive ball skills, a solid outside jump shot that extended to the 3-point line and explosiveness, highlighted by three dunks. The Tigers didn’t find themselves in too many spots where they needed to get a bucket, but if they do, it looks like Sueker could be the feature guy.
Best Defensive Performance: Weston Baker Magrath (Marshall)
The term “rim protector” gets thrown around a lot. Baker Magrath takes that role to heart for the Tigers though and does it as well as anybody. The 6-foot-8 senior possesses rare explosiveness and put it to good use on a number of occasions, either altering or just straight volleyball spiking shots away from the rim. His presence inside allowed Marshall’s guards to pressure hard up top because they know when they get beat, he’s there to erase or clean up a lot.
Best Play: Bloemker 3-pointers to cap off dominant half (Marshall)
There were a number of impressive sequences for the Tigers but the one that seemed to break the Patriots’ collective spirit was the flurry of 3-pointers from Bloemker in the waning minutes of the first half. Bloemker connected on a 3-pointer with less than a minute to go after a steal and drive by Trey Lance, then drilled a shot on a baseline-out-of-bounds play as time expired to pump the Tigers lead up to 25 points.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Jordan Lynn (Patrick Henry)
The Patriots as a group did not play well. But a guy who did stand out in doses was senior guard Jordan Lynn. Lynn is the Patriots’ top returning player, so it’s not like his performance came out of nowhere. But on a day where very little went right for Patrick Henry, Lynn was certainly a bright spot. Lynn led the team in scoring with 15 points and generated positive plays throughout the game with pressure defense and drives.
Best Intangibles: Reece Winkelman (Marshall)
Winkelman scored nine points in the game but his real value extends beyond the scoring he provides. The future South Dakota State football player had a great game on the defensive end and his willingness to keep the ball moving played a big role in Bloemker’s ability to light it up from deep. If the Tigers have assigned scoring options, Winkelman is probably the fifth guy. But he’s a valuable player on both ends.
Best Bench Player: Marshall’s second unit (Marshall)
There’s a notion that out-state teams don’t have the depth or the athletes to run with teams from the metro area. That notion might not always be untrue. It is with Marshall though. The Tigers have the horses to hang with the best teams in the metro, but they’ve also got strong depth. Ryan VanMoer and Nikki Ecktanitphong provided great energy off the bench on the perimeter. Blaise Andries played well inside in limited minutes and Austin Klaith and Jacob Hess both made plays as well. The bench combined to score 11 points but it never felt like there was any sort of drop off when the Tigers went deep to their bench.
Best Shot Creator: Trey Lance (Marshall)
Lance is another one of those highly-heralded football players for the Tigers doubling as a stud on the hardwood. The 6-foot-3 junior guard only scored three points but with his combination of size, athleticism and ball handling ability, it was clear that if he wanted to get his, he could’ve. Lance did a good job not forcing his own shot and instead seemed content to feed Bloemker and Sueker. His ability to break down perimeter ball pressure and create looks for his teammates is just another big weapon for the Tigers.
Best Storyline to Watch: Can Patriots control the tempo? (Patrick Henry)
Early on it was clear that Marshall wasn’t going to let the Patriots control the tempo of the game. And things got ugly for Patrick Henry because of it. Marshall is really good, so executing against the Tigers in the halfcourt isn’t going to yield positive results for many teams, but the Patriots really struggled when going against a set defense.
It doesn’t take long to see that the Patriots rely on controlling the tempo of the game and playing fast. They want to create havoc, turn teams over and use their athleticism to wear teams down. Can they do that against good teams? And if they can’t, how do they adjust and handle that? That’s something to watch with this Patriots team. It’s a team with a lot of talent and it’s a team that will win a lot of games. But if forced to play a different way, is their overall ceiling a little lower?
Coach Said: Shots, shots, shots (Marshall)
The Tigers have a lot of mouths to feed when it comes to everyone getting shots. That was something people knew could be something to watch with Marshall this season. It sure wasn’t an issue at all Saturday.
“Not today,” said head coach Travis Carroll. “There are 23 games to go. That’s obviously something we try to talk about. Some games it might come your way, other games it may not. You have to be unselfish. That’s a life skill 16 and 18-year-olds have to develop still and its’ easier talking about it as an older adult that it is sometimes for them to understand.”