10 Best: Gainesville vs. P.K. Yonge
STORY: In this rematch of their December matchup which ended with a Gainesville win, the Hurricanes put away the Blue Wave completing a two-game season-sweep against their cross-town rival, 75-62. Gainesville senior Isaiah Wilson led all with 26 points. Israel…
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Continue ReadingSTORY:
In this rematch of their December matchup which ended with a Gainesville win, the Hurricanes put away the Blue Wave completing a two-game season-sweep against their cross-town rival, 75-62. Gainesville senior Isaiah Wilson led all with 26 points. Israel Wilcox Jr. steered the Blue Wave with 14 points.
MVP: Isaiah Wilson (Gainesville)
From the opening tip, this senior set the tone. It was great to see a player so committed to AFFECTING the game in any way he could, versus playing within a safe zone. While scoring 26 on the night, Wilson went 10 of 10 from the charity stripe. Wilson also notched 14 of his 26 in the fourth quarter. He’s generous with the ball in his hand, as well. The senior managed to post a game-high five assists in the win. Wilson is definitely a guy who is worth taking more than one look at.
BEST OFFENSIVE GAME: Christian Miller-Cardwell (Gainesville)
Yes, Wilson did post 26 points, but CMC’s 16 points with 14 coming in the first half was awesome to watch. Very patient on offense, yet very aggressive when he sees a lane he can take. This proved true in the first half when he rose up on a P.K. defender for a crowd-erupting slam. The junior has a solid mid-range game, but also stepped out for a three from the wing to show versatility.
BEST DEFENSIVE GAME: Isaiah Wilson (Gainesville)
Wilson was just as much of a terror on defense as he was on offense. Two emphatic blocks in transition helped established his dominance on D. Couple this with five rebounds and three steals, and you have one of the more well-balanced student-hoopers in the city.
BEST RESERVE: Jalen Speer (P.K. Yonge)
Speer looks like he could be the future of his team, especially if he worked on becoming more vocal. Although, his shooting ability speaks volumes. The freshman led all reserves with nine points off three trifectas. Excited to see his development.
BEST SHOES: Jevon Boswell (P.K. Yonge)
I’ve never been really a fan of rocking numbered Jordan’s on-court, but the senior donned the Air Jordan 10 “Charlotte Hornets” color-way while offering seven points in the loss.
BEST ASPECT: P.K.’s National Anthem
The Blue Wave definitely have one of the more entertaining National Anthems in the city. Not only do they play Whitney Houston’s rendition of the song from the 1991 Super Bowl, but at the “Home of the brave” line, the entire home crowd goes “WAVEEE!” when “brave” begins to be sang out. Haven’t seen anything like that before.
BEST REBOUNDER: Israel Wilcox Jr. (P.K. Yonge)
At every bit of 5’5”, Wilcox Jr. does not shy away from the trenches. The sophomore was one rebound shy of tying for the team-lead with five, but the way he went up for every missed shot as if he were a center is something to appreciate.
BEST ASSIST-MAN: Kaijon Scott (Gainesville)
The senior didn’t post a lot of points this game, but he helped put them on the board with his eight dimes in the win. He’s a player that is always on the lookout for who’s open, you can see it in his eyes as he dribbles. Great guy off-the-court who has the talent to play at the next level.
BEST ENERGY-MAN: J’Len Wilson (Gainesville)
From the moment he stepped on-court, the motor was running. Although he only posted four points, his two steals and three rebounds were hard-earned. One of his best moments this game came while playing stifling defense near the sideline on arguably P.K.’s best player, Byron Smith, which led to a turnover.