Five Best: Taft at Summit Country Day
It is not that often that games with high anticipation live up to the hype that it receives leading up to the game day. But this was not the case Saturday night as 2nd ranked Summit Country Day hosted 9th…
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Continue ReadingIt is not that often that games with high anticipation live up to the hype that it receives leading up to the game day. But this was not the case Saturday night as 2nd ranked Summit Country Day hosted 9th ranked Taft in an outstanding match up. A game that was back and forth all night ended with Summit taking the victory by four, 54-50. Here are Prep Hoops Five Best from Saturday night’s action:
Best Offensive Performance: Sam Martin (Summit) – Marin put on an absolute show on Saturday night. The 5’10 inch senior continuously lived in the paint finishing with both hands in a variety of fashions while also showing the ability to knock down open jumpers. Martin keep his Summit in the game in the first half then helped to setup his teammates to help gain the victory in the second half. Sam controlled the pace of the game the whole evening and showed that he is one of the best floor generals in Cincinnati. Sam I Am finished with a game high 16 points.
Best Defensive Performance: TJ Walker (Summit) – Walker did a good job making Taft senior Malek Green work the whole evening. Summits 6’3 inch senior did an outstanding job making Green work for everything the whole evening by keeping a body on him every possession and using his quick feet and hands too make Green uncomfortable while dribbling. Walker was able to poke the ball away late in the 4th quarter from Green to help seal the victory. Containing Green was key to Summit taking the victory and Walker was a big part in making that happen.
Best Under the Radar Performance: Chris’seon Stringer (Taft) – Before he left the game in the 3rd quarter with a knee injury that happened right before the half, it can be argued that Stringer was the best player on the court. The 6’2 sophomore scored at will in the first half in a variety of ways. Rather it was getting into the paint off of penetration and finishing or knocking down open three’s, Stringer scored no matter who was guarding him. I definitely expect to hear more from “Grown Man” as he is known over the next two years.
Best Play of the Night: The play of the night comes courtesy of point guard Sam Martin. With the game tied late in the 3rd quarter Martin drives the lane and looks left to teammate TJ Walker cutting baseline. Martin stops on a dime while still looking at Walker but drops a beautiful pocket bounce pass to another teammate running down the right wing for an easy lay-up. This one play shows just how crafty Martin is as a point guard.
Best and Biggest Takeaway: For Summit that is a win that should give them a little more respect around Cincinnati. Many in the Cincy prep scene feel that due to the conference that they play Summit was not a legitimately good team. But a win against a program such as Taft, ranked #1 in Division II in Cincinnati, should silence a lot of that talk. Also Sam Martin proved with his performance that his name should be brought up when talking about top point guards in Cincinnati and possibly the state. Martin has a quick first step and does a good job of changing speeds and using his hesitation dribble to get by defenders. Sam I Am also does a good job of finishing around the basket with both hands. So far Martin, who is also one of the top soccer players in the tristate, is getting looks from Division II and III schools with no offers as of yet.
For Taft one has to wonder if the outcome would have been different had Chris’seon Stringer had not gotten injured. The 6’2 sophomore scored at will on the Silver Knights and is the main reason the Senators had the lead at the half. It will be interesting to see Stringer status for this week with the Senators playing an important this Friday against 8th ranked Hughes. Last but not least is the fact that even with this loss the Senators should still be seen as a threat to reach Columbus for championship weekend. Losing a game on the road, by four to the #1 ranked Division III team in the state is nothing to be ashamed off.