10 Best: Tampa Catholic vs. Clearwater Central Catholic
Tampa Catholic nearly blew a 22 point halftime lead to hang on for a 76-64 Class 5A-District 4 win over Clearwater Central Catholic on Friday night. The Crusaders (13-2, 6-0) were led by senior forward Kevin Knox and his game-high…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingTampa Catholic nearly blew a 22 point halftime lead to hang on for a 76-64 Class 5A-District 4 win over Clearwater Central Catholic on Friday night.
The Crusaders (13-2, 6-0) were led by senior forward Kevin Knox and his game-high 31 points. For the Marauders (15-2, 7-1), senior forward Victor Collazo had 24 points of his own.
Here are the 10 best performers from this matchup.
MVP: Kevin Knox (Tampa Catholic)
There’s very little bad to say about Kevin Knox. Outside of a rare airball on a 3-pointer in the first half, Knox played as good as you can expect. He had two dunks in this one and the fans left wanting more, but he hit a couple of key 3’s and a very nice step away jumper, coming in the first quarter (video here). Knox is a humble kid who is only going to improve at the next level.
Best offensive performance: Andrew Cavanaugh (Clearwater Central Catholic)
Shooting is Andrew Cavanaugh’s favorite thing to do. The Clearwater Central Catholic senior guard was red hot from the field with 19 points. Whenever his teammates gave him a chance to shoot from outside, Cavanaugh made it happen. He had three 3’s in this one.
Best defensive performance: Victor Collazo (Clearwater Central Catholic)
Victor Collazo ended up with a team-best 24 points by driving inside at will especially in the third quarter. However, his defensive contributions were huge in this game as well. He had nine rebounds and a block that really got his teammates going. Collazo is a solid all-around player.
Best intangibles: Tim Carter (Tampa Catholic)
Tim Carter opened up the game red hot with six points in the first quarter alone. He went on to score only one more point to finish with seven, but I noticed something out of the junior guard. I’ve known that he’s athletic, but this kid is savvy. Midway through the fourth quarter, Carter was the one with the ball in his hands setting up the offense.
Best under-the-radar performance: Messiah Turner (Tampa Catholic)
Messiah Turner is always fun to watch. The Tampa Catholic junior guard scored seven points in this game. Playing in a rotation off the bench, Turner gives the Crusaders good minutes whenever he comes into the game.
Best catch and shoot guy: Nick Giorgi (Tampa Catholic)
Locked in on defense for most of the night, senior guard Nick Giorgi hit both of his 3-point attempts to account for six points for Tampa Catholic. Giorgi can really shoot from outside when he finds open space and in this one, his teammates gave him chances down the stretch.
Best underclassmen: Alijah Harrison (Tampa Catholic)
Just a freshman, Alijah Harrison is really the only other big on the Crusaders’ roster besides Knox. Harrison stands at 6’4″ and uses his length to his advantage a lot. He had six points and you can tell with more seasoning, he’s going to be a very good piece for Tampa Catholic.
Best attacker: Kevin Knox (Tampa Catholic)
At the half, Knox had 19 points. He attacked more often over the first 16 minutes. Early in the third quarter, he was hampered by a leg issue but fought through it the rest of the way. When Knox gets his head down, there isn’t much you can do to stop him inside.
Best energy: Brandon Giebel (Clearwater Central Catholic)
Senior guard Brandon Giebel had six points coming on two 3-pointers in this game. He came off the bench and really brought some energy to the Marauders’ side. Giebel is a nice rotational player.
Best athlete: Tai Strickland (Tampa Catholic)
In any given Tampa Catholic game both Strickland and Knox will make plays that get you out of your seat. In this one, Strickland had four fouls for the majority of the second half, but he continued to attack and made some impressive plays. He’s deceivingly quick.