10 Best: #26 Jamestown vs. Grafton
It’s been 10 years since the Jamestown Eagles could call themselves champions of any sort, but that streak ended Tuesday night with a 58-47 win over Conference 18 rival Grafton, moving the Eagles to 19-2 on the season and clinching…
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Continue ReadingIt’s been 10 years since the Jamestown Eagles could call themselves champions of any sort, but that streak ended Tuesday night with a 58-47 win over Conference 18 rival Grafton, moving the Eagles to 19-2 on the season and clinching the Conference 18 regular season title and number one seed in the upcoming Conference Tournament.
“Coming from programs that have won a lot, I just feel so happy for the kids,” Head Coach Donovan Bridgeforth said. “Just a group of kids from Williamsburg that every one doubted, and now we can say we earned the title of champions.”
Coming off a win over the #2 seed Smithfield on Friday, Jamestown could have fallen into a trap, playing against a team they’ve already beat on senior night with emotions running high. However, the Eagles came out scorching, leading 12-3 at the end of the first quarter. They were riding a big lead, until Grafton made a mini run to cut the deficit to 10 at halftime.
The Patriots of Grafton continued to fight, cutting the deficit all the way to four with just over two minutes left in the third. The Eagles showed their experience however, scoring the final four points of the third and the first 11 of the fourth to put Grafton away for good. Here’s a look at what we saw from the game.
MVP | Evan Wang | Jamestown ’17
Wang, who was honored with his twin Mason at halftime for scoring 1,600 point combined, showed why he was honored as he caught fire early. He showed great feel as a scorer, moving well without the basketball and getting good shots within the sets that Jamestown was running. He scored 18 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field, 12 of which came in the first half.
Best Offensive Performer | Kiran Durant | Grafton ‘17
While Wang was both efficient and productive for Jamestown, Durant was the main reason that Grafton was in the game late. The Marymount commit scored 21 points, 13 of which came in the second half, and he showed great versatility in the way he got his buckets. He worked well off the bounce and off the ball, finished well through contact and made shots from all three levels. The crafty combo guard will be a big time scorer in the Capital Athletic Conference over the next three seasons.
Best Defensive Performer | Ryan Jones | Jamestown ’17
Jones may only be about 5’7”, but he plays with passion on both ends, especially the defensive end where he uses intelligence to make plays and negate his size. In their run and jump system, Jones always seems to be in the right rotation to get a steal or a deflection. He showed great hustle as well, diving on the floor and in the stands to save possessions.
Best Guy off the Bench | Diamante Brown | Jamestown ’17
Brown didn’t get off to a great start shooting the basketball, but he was a big reason they opened it up in the fourth quarter after Grafton made a run to cut the lead in the third. Brown opened the quarter by scoring six of their first ten points in under two minutes to cap a 15-0 run that put it away for good. His athleticism and ability to get his own shot are two big pluses off the bench.
Best Intangibles | Mason Wang | Jamestown ’17
The Eagles’ leading scorer on the season didn’t get off to the best start shooting the basketball, but that didn’t stop him from making plays on both ends of the floor. He set his twin Evan up early, jumped passing lanes and pushed the tempo the entire game for Jamestown. He finished with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in their win.
Best Under the Radar Performance | Josh Moore | Grafton ‘18
It was my first time seeing Moore, but I had heard Grafton had a point guard worth looking at, and he impressed in many ways. A strong and athletic 5’11” guard his coach says “Has a knack for buckets,” he showed that he can be a dual threat PG as well. He only finished with 11, but showed that he can score from all three levels, and he also dished out five assists on the night.
Best Underclassman | Jarontez Garret | Jamestown ’20
He didn’t play much due to the fact it was a senior night on a team with eight seniors, but Garret has shown a lot of potential throughout the senior, and you’ll likely see him a lot more moving forward in his career. A 5’9” point guard with a quick first step, Garret has no qualms attacking bigger players downhill and finishing through contact. His toughness will be needed next year with a whole new cast.
Best Rebounder | Michael Schmidt | Jamestown ’17
Schmidt, who shares a name with my favorite baseball player of all time, was honored at halftime for scoring his 1,000 career point and grabbing his 500 career rebound. The four year varsity player showed why he reached those milestones, with an impressive double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. He gobbled up eight rebounds, all but one on the defensive end, in the first half, and was key in limiting Grafton to one shot and starting the Jamestown break. He also finished 5-for-5 from the field.
Best Feel | Ryan Jones | Jamestown ’17
He didn’t put up huge numbers, but Jones’ feel on both ends makes the 5’7” point guard the perfect addition with the Wang twins in the backcourt. He plays with toughness, sees the entire floor, finishes over bigger defenders and sets the tone on both ends. He has the tenacity and competitive nature, along with the skill set, to compete with anyone, and he outworks almost everyone at the same time.
Best Story to Watch Moving Forward | 4A State Playoff Race
Jamestown will go into the Conference 18 Tournament with the one seed, but it will be no cake walk for them. While 4A is as wide open as any classification throughout the state, Conference 18 may be one of the deepest, at least in terms of winning. They beat rivals Smithfield and Grafton, both who were on big winning streaks, but they’ll likely have to play at least one of them next week, along with Heritage, Denbigh and Lafayette, all of whom are over 500 on the season. Not to mention the region is no cakewalk with state title favorites Lake Taylor and Eastern View, dark horse contenders Deep Creek and Huguenot, and not to mention the defending state champs Monacan. While Jamestown has had a historic season so far, they still have plenty of work to do moving forward.