10 Best: Northwood Temple vs Fayetteville Academy
This game was exciting from the moment it started and it kept its excitement even after the final buzzer rang. These two teams would battle back and forth the entire game with neither team going up by more than 6 points. The game would come down to the final seconds with Fayetteville Academy scoring with only 2 seconds remaining to get the win.
Best Performer: Fayetteville Academy 2019 Guard EJ Bethea takes home this award, finishing with 31 Points on the night. He knocks down shots from deep with high efficiency and is automatic from the free throw line.
Top High Flyer: Northwood Temple 2018 Forward Ian Steere is a player that makes people move out the way when he come down the lane and that’s what happened last night. He finished with 14 points but what will be remembered is the monster dunk that was thrown down in the 3rd quarter.
Best Moment: With just seconds remaining in the game, FA Guard EJ Bethea scored the game winning basket with a floater off the backboard. The crowd rushed the floor as time expired, creating a memory for the youngster that he will not forget anytime soon.
Double/Double Machine: Another game, another double/double for Fayetteville Academy Junior Forward/Center Emmanuel Izunabor. Although he battled foul trouble throughout the night, he was efficient and would finish with 10 points& 11 rebounds.
Best Midrange Player: Fayetteville Academy 2019 Forward William Oyeondi didn’t waste any time at all, he got it going early by scoring 11 points in the 1st half. His ability to slash to the basket as well as knock down the midrange jumper gave defenders problems.
Best Clutch Shooting: Northwood Temple 2020 Guard Jay Hickman stepped up big time for the Eagles in the 4th quarter. With the team trailing and not much time remaining, he knocked down two big time treys from the corner tying up the game.
Best Spark Plug Player: Fayetteville Academy 2021 Guard Walter Ghaffar scored 4 points but they came in clutch moments. The play that may have shocked the entire gym was a two handed dunk he threw down after forcing a turnover.
Best PG: Northwood Temple 2019 John Michael Wright didn’t have his best day scoring the ball but he was efficient with how he ran the team offensively. He made some good reads and didn’t try to force things too often, finished with 11 points.
Most Unselfish: Northwood Temple Junior Guard Josh Nickelberry had an off shooting night, he would finish with only 9 points but still found a way to make an impact. He made very good passes, to teammates and did not force anything. Many times in youngsters we see a player try to force up shots even when a teammate is hot. This wasn’t the case for Josh as he tried to continue to find the hot man sine his shot wasn’t falling.
Best Undersized Big: With the absence of Manny Bates, Northwood needed another player to step up and give them good play inside the paint. Although he is much shorter Northwood Temple Sophomore Forward Travon Jackson played with a nice amount of energy, blocked shots, and rebounded well.