Ten Best: SAC Tournament – Championship Game
Game Recap: SAC Championship Game North Side 56 – Homestead 49 The Championship Game did not disappoint, much like the previous rounds of the SAC Tournament. This tournament show-cased some of the best talent in the Fort Wayne area and…
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Continue ReadingGame Recap: SAC Championship Game
North Side 56 – Homestead 49
The Championship Game did not disappoint, much like the previous rounds of the SAC Tournament. This tournament show-cased some of the best talent in the Fort Wayne area and they all came to play. Homestead and North Side willed their teams to the finals with Semi-Final wins over Bishop Luers and Snider, respectively.
The atmosphere in this game was Championship-like from start to finish. North Side took an early lead into the second quarter, 17-12, behind strong inside play from Jaylen Butz and Keion Brooks Jr. The second quarter was much of the same as Jack Ferguson and the Spartans looked to make up a little ground before half. Ferguson and Butz were in some foul trouble which limited them in what they could do. North Side was up 32-27 at the half.
Coming out in the third quarter, nobody was in foul trouble so we saw aggressive play from everyone. Brandon Durnell started to find some openings on the offensive end that helped the Spartans win the third quarter 16-14 and cut the lead to 46-43 going into the final quarter. North Side’s inside presence proved to be too much as both Butz and Brooks Jr. produced double-double performances in the 56-49 win. The North Side Legends took home the SAC Tournament Title for the 4th straight year, first school to do that on the boys or girls side.
MVP: Jaylen Butz (North Side)
Aside from having two first quarter fouls, Jaylen Butz was tough to handle in the Championship game. The 6’11” senior finished with 17 points (8-10 2FG, 0-1 3FG, and 1-2 FT), 18 rebounds (15 defensive and 3 offensive), 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. Butz filled the stat sheet in these categories throughout the tournament including an 8- block performance against Northrop in second round action. Butz has been performing at a high level this season and that was no different than we saw in the SAC Championship. Butz helped the Legends to 4 straight titles in his time at North Side.
Best Offensive Performance: Jaylen Butz (North Side)
Butz was great in all categories as seen above but he was also able to do it efficiently. Butz shot 73% from the floor to finish with his 17 points (8-10 2FG, 0-1 3FG, and 1-2 FT). His efficiency and effectiveness on the offensive end of the floor was great but another aspect that he brings is great passing. Butz handles double-teams well and dished out 5 assists in their win over Homestead. He doesn’t seem to panic and uses his dribble to give himself space to see the floor.
Best Defensive Performance: Parker Manges (Homestead)
Parker Manges was tasked with guarding sophomore stand-out Keion Brooks Jr. who also has almost a half foot height advantage over Manges. Manges worked Brooks Jr. out of position all night long and got him to settle for a few uncharacteristic shots in the first half. Manges finished with a game high 5 steals in the loss to North Side. He stripped Brooks Jr. on a few shot attempts late in the game that turned out to be costly turnovers. Homestead just couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities that they had down the stretch. Manges also contributed 15 points (2-4 2FG, 3-7 3FG, and 2-2 FT), 2 defensive rebounds, and 1 assist to go with his 5 steals.
Best Under-The-Radar Performance: Keion Brooks Jr. (North Side)
Although it wasn’t really an “under-the-radar” performance, Brooks Jr. had the second-best performance on his team. Senior Jaylen Butz took the MVP title for his ability to fill out so many categories of the stat sheet. Keion finished with a game high 19 points (8-13 2 FG and 1-2 3FG), 10 rebounds (7 defensive and 3 offensive), 2 blocks, 1 assist, and 1 steal in the win over the Spartans. Keion looked really-good on the offensive end of the floor and his one-handed slam in the third quarter really brought the crowd to life. Brooks Jr. is one of the up and coming names to watch not only in the state, but country-wide. He is a special talent and showed why in the Championship win.
Best Player Off-The-Bench: Davontae Kinnie (North Side)
Davontae Kinnie came off-the-bench for the Legends in this contest and gave them some good minutes. He didn’t fill up the scoring column but he made some plays down the line for his team to help them win their 4th straight SAC Championship. Kinnie and Butz are two of the seniors that have been a part of all 4 titles. Kinnie finished with 2 points (1-3 2FG and 0-2 FT), 3 rebounds (1 defensive and 2 offensive), 6 assists, and 2 steals. Davontae is a good passer as an undersized guard and has the ability to get to the basket with ease off the bounce.
Biggest Key Player: Jack Ferguson (Homestead)
Homestead will go as Jack Ferguson does this season. He is undoubtedly the leader for this team on both ends of the floor and his senior counterparts Manges and Durnell seem to play well when Ferguson does. The three of them will be huge for Homestead this year. Ferguson finished with 14 points (2-3 2FG, 3-8 3FG, and 1-1 FT), 6 rebounds (4 defensive and 2 offensive), 5 assists, and 1 blocked shot. Ferguson is the initiator of the offense, the one that can create his own shot, and the one who can make some ridiculous shots. His ball-handling ability is superb and he can get wherever he wants on the floor against any defender. He had 3 different North Side players with 2 fouls before the half.
Best Intangibles: Brandon Durnell (Homestead)
Brandon Durnell is the biggest body that Homestead has this year and he does the little things down-low to give his team a fighting chance. He is aggressive on the defensive end, making people uncomfortable and he understands body positioning on shots and drives to the basket. He is good at staying out of foul trouble as they need him to be on the floor. Durnell finished with 11 points (5-11 2FG, 0-3 3FG, and 1-2 FT), 7 rebounds (4 defensive and 3 offensive), 2 assists, and 1 block in the Championship contest. Durnell doesn’t need to score the ball to be effective. He takes charges and dives on the floor. He is the hustle guy for the Spartans and as an underclassman, they see all of that from him and realize that’s what it takes to play at a high level.
Best Rebounder: Jaylen Butz (North Side)
Butz’s hands, length, and athleticism make him an elite rebounder. Jaylen had multiple 15+ rebound games in the SAC Tournament and turned in a game high 18 rebound (15 defensive and 3 offensive) performance in the Championship game when it mattered most. Butz is a double-double threat every time that he sets foot on the floor and some games he flirts with triple-doubles with either blocks or assists. He is one of those guys who doesn’t necessarily look to score all the time but is still able to score a quiet 15-20 points a game. Depaul has a great student of the game coming their way next season.
Best Underclassmen: Keion Brooks Jr. (North Side)
Keion is the best underclassmen in any game. The 6’9” wing continues to build upon his game and has so many different dimensions as such a young age. He is a matchup nightmare because he can step away from the basket and score from deep and has been working on his scoring with his back to the basket. He has a smooth jump shot and off the charts athleticism. Brooks Jr. is a problem for opponents and as he continues to work on his game, he will be able to score off the dribble a little more efficiently. He rebounds well and alters shots around the basket with his length. His timing on blocking shots is great.
Biggest Takeaway: North Side’s Height and Athleticism Won Out
North Side was just too big and too quick down the line. North Side altered shots around the basket and pushed Homestead’s offense further and further from the spots they wanted to be. Butz and Brooks Jr. turned in outstanding performances and they were the key reasons that the Legends pulled out the win. The Spartans put up a tremendous effort from their senior trio: Ferguson, Manges, and Durnell. Homestead will surprise a lot of people this season but if North Side continues to play at the high level they have thus far, they will be a tough team to beat in the Fort Wayne area all season long.