Five Takeaways: Castle vs. Evansville Harrison
The first game of the SIAC Tournament semifinals went a different direction than anyone in the gym thought as Evansville Harrison got out and ran Castle into a big hole early on. Then, Castle spent the next two quarters trying to figure out how to keep it close. Harrison led by as much as 20 in this game but then a few turnovers and some late threes gave Castle a little bit of a reprieve but not enough to come all the way back as Evansville Harrison won 68-62. Harrison was led by Rilee Epley with 20 points and Robin Duncan with 15. Jace Stieler led Castle with 24 points.
Still Not Sure What Is Wrong With Castle
We got to see Castle earlier in the year and they looked good for portions of their game but also were on edge for most of it. This game was a lot of the same. Alex Hemenway struggled to get going until the fourth quarter but Jace Stieler and Triston Wilkinson were really good for most of the game but they just need more. Part of the problem is playing Hemenway on the ball and forcing him to do a lot for them. He’s having to create for himself and his teammates and that hurts his production a bit. If they could get some more minutes out of a point guard, to give them three true scoring options, that would do some help. However, we are talking about just smaller issues. They just struggle to keep all the pieces together for the entire game. That consistency is the biggest issue and not sure how they fix that.
Robin Duncan’s Perimeter Jumper Looks Better
It is still a long ways away but the progress that Evansville Harrison’s Robin Duncan has shown is pretty solid to this point from the three-point line. He’s still not consistent on the release but it is better and you see a little more confidence in it than this summer or even three weeks ago when we watched him. Part of it is that confidence and removing a lot of the hitchiness, if that is a war, out of it. This is the biggest thing missing from his game right now. He does so many things well and looks really good when it is all going well. He had 15 points in this game and hit a couple threes early in the game.
Triston Wilkinson Looks Healthier, Shot Is Good Right Now
Senior guard Triston Wilkinson for Castle is one of the more interesting players to watch in the Evansville area. He’s lightly recruited and has a ton of offense when he gets moving. His perimeter jumper is really good and he was hot on this night. He hasn’t been truly healthy this season but he was moving much better and even took a dive on the floor at one point in the game. If he can stay healthy and Castle can get in front of a few more coaches, they should see that he has some value and right now, his shot looks as good as you are going to find from three.
Evansville Harrison Could Cause Problems for Bosse
They matchup Saturday evening and it could be a really good, close game. Where Bosse struggled against Memorial was when they were running their offense and slowing it down a bit, restricting the Bosse transition game. Harrison ran their offense really well and was great at keeping possessions. They were effective and efficient and as long as Rilee Epley is able to stay on the floor, they could really make this a game. Should be a lower scoring game if Harrison is going to win so watch for that.
DIII Programs Should Stick Around Evansville Teams
One college program was there on Thursday night, Wabash College, and for good reason. This area has a ton of talent and it is widely going under-recruited. Guys like Rilee Epley, Triston Wilkinson, Zach Messinger, Jace Stieler in this first game could all find places at that level. In the other games you had guys like Jaylin Chinn, Jaylen Minor, and Andrew Cross were all in that range as well. With very few college programs in southern Indiana, that doesn’t mean there aren’t less players, just less recruited players.