Division IV State Semifinals: 10 Who Impressed

After tonight’s Division IV action, The Wellington School and Lutheran East are set to meet in the Championship at 2pm on Saturday.

Both semifinals were defined by defense. And while defense was the key for both of the finalists, their strategies were quite different.

In the 5:15 time slot, Delphos St. John’s wasn’t able to handle Lutheran East’s full-court pressure. A 21-0 third quarter for the Falcons put the game away, after an ugly first half. The press forced nearly every variation of turnover by the Blue Jays, as Lutheran East rolled over St. John’s 50-25

The Wellington School thrived in half-court defense. Lima Perry looked like a transition machine in the first quarter, but when Wellington slowed it down, momentum turned. Wellington forced Perry’s guards to drive, where Dustin Harder and Noah Berry would meet them. It was phenomenal execution all around. The Jaguars advanced by a score of 68-47, despite a gutsy effort from Perry.

Now let’s focus on the prospects who played well.

Jordan Burge (2018), 6’3″ G, Lutheran East

The game’s leading scorer was most effective on the drive. Burge was able to shoulder his way through contact to lead the Falcons half-court attack. The junior prospect also hit some jump shots when he found separation. The only gripe with Burge is the lack of arch on his jump shot.

Maurico Tate (2017), 6’1″ PG, Lutheran East

Tate, who reportedly holds an offer from Wayne State, is impressive physically. The senior court general was able to jump in passing lanes with an explosive burst of speed. Tate also has quick crossovers that open up lay-in opportunities. Twice in the game, Tate finished shot attempts on the right side while fading away towards the baseline — it was unusual, but effective in the sense that he created separation.

Justin Motley (2017), 6’8″ F/C, Lutheran East

His matchup against Timothy Kreeger seemed like a focal point in the pregame. Well, Motley shut him down. Kreeger, a Marietta commit, only scored two points. Motley contested his shots and, generally, made him uncomfortable. Essentially, a crucial role played for Lutheran East completely fulfilled his role.

Dustin Harder (2017), 6’9″ F/C, The Wellington School

First of all, Harder had 21 rebounds. Twenty-one! That’s not the only place he took advantage of his height advantage against Lima Perry though. The Belmont Abbey commit was the anchor of their defense, forcing kick-outs and near impossible shots around the basket. As mentioned, their defense was the key and Harder carried a ton of responsibility as the rim protector.

Noah Berry (2018), 6’7″ PF, The Wellington School

Berry showed off the face-up game quite a bit tonight. The most impressive occasion was on a jab step into a one dribble split of two defenders which ended in a dunk. That play was the type that only Division I players tend to complete with such fluidity. Safe to say he’s pretty athletic for his position.

Solomon Pierre-Louis (2018), 6’3″ G, The Wellington School

The junior combo guard finished with finesse inside on multiple occasions throughout the game. Whether it was via euro-step, floaters, or sometimes absorbing the contact, Pierre-Louis was crafty around the rim. He also scored from the three-point line on catch-and-shoot baskets. Not hard to see why Wellington’s season turned the corner when he returned (Pierre-Louis had to sit out part of the season because of transferring regulations).

Guy Schmidt (2018), 5’10” PG, The Wellington School

Schmidt is a pass-first point guard who is reliable with the ball. He avoids troublesome situations (e.g. traps) with quick crossovers. The junior also showed a killer instinct in the fourth quarter, where he scored all 8 of his points, all of which came going to the basket or at the line. Schmidt also created shots for others by drawing their defender away from them.

Orion Monford (2017), 6’0″ G, Lima Perry

Monford scores at a high rate. The lefty hit from deep occasionally, where he shoots a rainbow. Once he established that shot as a threat, it set up his pump-fake and dribble attack. Off the dribble, Monford can get all the way to the rim or pull-up in the mid-range. Monford also came up with a few steals because of some quick hands.

Jakoby Lane-Harvey (2017), 6’0″ G, Lima Perry

It appeared that Lane-Harvey is the leader on the floor for a veteran Perry squad. He seemed to be involved with every loose ball and scrapped to create many of them. Skill wise, Lane-Harvey has a nice touch from the mid-range.

Plummie Gardner (2017), 5’9″ G, Lima Perry

Gardner hit time and again from behind the arch. When the other two parts of their senior guard trio couldn’t find a shot, Gardner was spotting up in open areas from deep.