Prep Hoops 10 Best: Heritage vs. LCA
In a rematch of two dark horse state contenders from Lynchburg, 4A Liberty Christian Academy hosted 3A Heritage in a great game from tip to buzzer. It was a closely contested first quarter with LCA taking a two point lead…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn a rematch of two dark horse state contenders from Lynchburg, 4A Liberty Christian Academy hosted 3A Heritage in a great game from tip to buzzer. It was a closely contested first quarter with LCA taking a two point lead into the second, where Heritage caught fire behind the play of backcourt mates Kevin Rosser and Jordan Hamlette, who took over for the Pioneers who went into the half with a 31-28 lead. However, the second half belonged to LCA, in big part due to the play of 6’4” Liberty commit Elijah Cuffee and 2017 point guard Edriel Martinborough. Behind the backcourt duo, LCA had a huge third quarter, outscoring Heritage 24-14 and never looking back, finishing with a 71-61 victory over their cross town counterparts. Here’s some of the takeaways from the closely contested matchup.
MVP: Elijah Cuffee | LCA ’17
As mentioned before, the Liberty commit was phenomenal in every aspect of the game for LCA, especially in the second half where he almost single handedly took the game over. Of his 23 points and 10 rebounds, Cuffee scored 18 and pulled in seven of them in the second half, showing his versatility of being able to play on or off the basketball, and his smooth middle game that he was able to show off time-and-time again. Cuffee, a West Virginia native who played with Big Shots Elite last season, should find a way to see a lot of time for Liberty next year because of his ability to do so much.
Play of the Game
Early in their third quarter run, Cuffee made a play that would foreshadow the way that he was planning to take the game over. After forcing a missed shot, he grabbed a defensive rebound, blew by his first defender in transition, forced a commitment from the other defender and dropped a beautiful no look pass to teammate Edriel Martinborough for an easy layup. The play was not only smooth and pretty, but it set the tone for LCA who came out with intensity in the second half.
Best Offensive Performer | Elijah Cuffee | LCA ’17
We mentioned the double-double in scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for them, but how about everything else that Cuffee did? Yes, there was more. Cuffee often started the break when he pulled in defensive rebounds, worked the middle of the zone where he hit midrange shots and created for others, and he showed great poise and vision in both transition and in the half court, finishing with 8 assists as well. As if being 2 assists shy of a triple-double wasn’t good enough, he also hit the four free throws at the end of the game to ice it for LCA.
Best Defensive Performer | Caleb Snead | Heritage ‘17
Known more as a scoring wing, Snead had an off night offensively, but it didn’t affect his ability to make plays on the defensive end for the Pioneers. A football commit to Campbell University, Snead showed great lateral quickness to stay in front of defenders, and showed a high IQ in help situations. His two steals on the night hardly show his true impact on the defensive end.
Best Guy off the Bench | Elijah Davis | Heritage ’18
A football star that supposedly ran for over 2,500 yards this season, Davis showed that explosion and athleticism when he came off the bench. A 5’10 combo guard with a large frame, it was surprising to see how well he changed speeds with the ball in his hands, and he was able to blow by slower defenders to score. He also made some big shots and hit the glass, finishing with nine points and four rebounds off the bench.
Best Intangibles | Jordan Hamlette | Heritage ’17
He was battling a stomach bug all day, but that didn’t keep the Pioneer’s floor general from battling the entire game. He showed tremendous feel and vision, seeing defensive rotations and plays breaking down before others and delivering passes on target. He showed great body control in the lane, good understanding on the defensive end, was a leader and if the two three’s that went in-and-out in the fourth quarter had fallen who knows how the game would’ve turned out. Not his best game, but Hamlette still had an impressive 17 point, five assist three steal outing.
Best Under-the-Radar Performer | Edriel Martinborough | LCA ’17
A native of the Bahamas, Martinborough was forced to sit out last season for a transfer rule at LCA, and his impact has been felt in a big way this season. The athletic point guard was great as a dual threat on the offensive end, scoring 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting and dished out eight assists in their win. When he’s engaged, he can be a real weapon for the Bulldogs.
Best Catch-and-Shoot Guy | Jay Barber | LCA ‘17
Some had said the Liberty commit was struggling with his shot, but the 6’4” wing came up big in the fourth quarter with two deep triples that were nothing but net as Heritage was making a late push. Barber has a quick release, good size to get his shot off and when he’s confident, he can knock them down from anywhere. He finished with 17 points on 3-for-6 from deep.
Best Breakout Performer | Kevin Rosser | Heritage ’18
Rosser had the hot hand early for Heritage, scoring 11 points in the first half and making shots from all over the floor. The 6’2” guard was great in transition, made shots from both the mid range and from deep and was aggressive the whole game. When defenders started shading toward him, he was able to make plays for others as well, and made an impact defensively with two steals. The junior finished with 18 points on 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep, and chipped in five assists as well.
Best Big Man Prospect | Keenan Austin | Heritage ’18
Austin still has a ways to go, but his length and athleticism make him very intriguing moving forward. The 6’6” big man was like a pogo stick, getting off the floor quickly to contest shots or get rebounds, including a series where he missed his own shot and got off the floor for a second time before anyone else had left their feet. He needs to be more active and assertive in the paint, but he has all of the physical tools to get it done with their top two scoring threats in Hamlette and Snead leaving next year.