Ten Best: Westview at Jesuit

It's crowded at the top of the Metro League and Westview and Jesuit--both coming off big wins--took to the court on Wednesday in a key matchup. After a tight 30 minutes of play, the Crusaders pulled away at the end to beat the Wildcats 63-54 and stay in the Metro League driver's seat. They improved to 9-4 overall and 4-1 in the league as Westview fell to 7-6 (3-2). Here's what stood out: (Pictured: Matt Lang led all scorers in Wednesday's game.) MVP: Sam Handley, Jesuit senior This award is often reserved for the leading scorer, but on Wednesday night it was Handley's defense that was especially dominant. He had the tall task of guarding Westview's 6-foot-10 post, Jack Poling, and did a good job limiting his touches by making entry passes difficult. Twice in the fourth quarter, he denied Poling enough that the Crusaders were able to come up with key steals. Westview coach Mike Wolf said, “Handley did a really good job of getting around Jack and making it hard to throw in. He’s just a phenomenal athlete." The 6-foot-6 post, who is a Penn lacrosse commit, added 14 points offensively. Best offensive performance: Matt Lang, Jesuit senior Lang, who did not hit a three-pointer in Jesuit's big win over Southridge on Friday, opened Wednesday's game by missing a trey--but then hit two to tally eight first quarter points. He finished with 22 points on 8 of 14 shooting. If Jesuit could get a semi-open three-pointer from him on every possession, they would. A 6-foot-3 lefty sharpshooter, he has an offer from Division II Northwest Nazarene and the option to be a preferred walk-on at Gonzaga. Play of the game: Joe Wall, Jesuit senior Wall is a 6-foot-6 post, but he can really shoot it from deep. After being restricted to just one basket in the first three quarters, he racked up 7 points in the fourth quarter. His three-pointer early in the fourth put the Crusaders up 7 and killed Westview momentum, Best guy off the bench: Will Sheaffer, Jesuit junior Immediately after Wall's three, Sheaffer stole the inbounds pass and laid the ball in and suddenly, the Crusaders' lead was up to nine. The 6-foot guard finished with 5 points. Best traditional low-post presence: Jack Poling, Westview senior Poling, a 6-foot-10 post signed with Division III Pacific Lutheran is a blast from a different era. He occupies the low post and uses size, interior footwork and a baby hook to score. "There aren't many low post players like him," coach Mike Wolf said. Poling--the focus of Westview's offense--scored 12 points on 6 of 11 shooting with 9 rebounds. Best under-the-radar-performance: Kobe Newton, Westview junior Newton, who was not on Westview's varsity last year, led the Wildcats in scoring with 16 total points, notching 8 points in each the second and fourth quarter. Confident handling and shooting the ball, he hit three treys. Best underclassman: Matthew Levis, Jesuit sophomore Levis started and, despite a couple of turnovers--one of which he was scolded by Handley for--held his own. He finished with 6 points and played over half the game. Best intangibles: Eric Anderson, Westview senior Anderson ran the offense as the Wildcats' point guard and tallied eight points on efficient shooting. A big moment came for him late in the third quarter with Westview teetering, down by 6. A Jesuit steal led to a fast break and what appeared to be an easy bucket, but Anderson took a charge to give Westview the ball and momentum back. Best defensive decision: Gene Potter, Jesuit coach Handley carefully denied Poling in the post, but whenever he caught the ball and took a dribble, he was immediately double and triple-teamed. Poling passed out of the double team well (“I don’t mind giving someone an open shot," he said), but the Westview offense was not able to capitalize. Best quote: Shasank Bonthala, Westview senior Bonthala scored 14 points, but that wasn't enough as the Wildcats turned the ball over 18 times before falling. He said he's looking forward to facing Jesuit again: “We’ll get them back at our place." (For more prep hoops coverage, follow @HayesGardner.)