Bossier Summer League: Week 3 Preview
As June comes closer to the end, we move into the last two Mondays of the Bossier Summer League. Even though teams have been playing in team camps almost every weekend, the Monday night games have proved to be very competitive. With that said, we will delve into some of the key match-ups during the games this afternoon and tonight.
Natchitoches Central vs Bossier – 3:20
Both teams are coming off of winning weekend’s at team camps. Bossier went 5-0 at the Madison Prep team camp with a win over 5A champ Walker. Natchitoches Central went undefeated at the team camp hosted by Northwestern State. So, both teams will have momentum coming into the battle this afternoon.
Key individual match up: The primary scorers in this contest will more than likely be guarding each other. Calvin “C.J.” Carpenter and Jacoby Decker both had good weekends scoring at their respective team camps. Decker did most of his damage from the perimeter while Carpenter did most of his scoring using dribble drives and transition buckets. When they are guarding one another, we will see who will best the other. Natchitoches needs Carpenter to score while Bossier has plenty of other weapons to rely upon.
Prediction: Bossier
Natchitoches Central vs Woodlawn – 4:40
It is not normal to get a chance to top both of the two best teams in 1-4A during the same afternoon. However, Natchitoches Central will get a chance to do just that when they square off against Woodlawn-Shreveport in the Bearkats gym. Woodlawn had the week off outside of practice while this will mark the 7th game for Natchitoches since Friday.
Key individual match-up: C.J. Carpenter will get his fill of all state guards as he will be the primary defender on Tramicheal “T-Mike” Moton in this contest. Moton will be more fresh coming from a week off while Carpenter will be asked to defend another top flight guard. It helps that Natchitoches plays good team defense. That plus Carpenter’s quickness should help him nullify Moton’s production to a minimum.
Prediction: Natchitoches Central
Woodlawn vs Bossier – 6:00
Coach Sykes and the “retooling” Knights will be trying to gauge their progress against their 1-4A rival in this second tilt of the night for both teams. Just like Natchitoches Central, this game will be the seventh one Bossier has played since Friday. Their legs might be a little tired by this time. Consequently, they will be playing their district rival in a contest. Summer league or not, the Bossier players will probably muster up enough energy for this one.
Key individual match-up: Even though the guard play in this game will probably determine the outcome, the post play and rebounding contest will be big. Junior Dante Bell (Bossier) and Delatrion Moton of Woodlawn are two of the best prospects the state has to offer on the basketball court. Moton is a more skilled scorer while Bell is more athletic. Whichever one of these players wins the offensive boards battle will help their team win the encounter.
Prediction: Bossier
Red River vs Homer – 6:40
Outside of an opening loss to Southwood in overtime, Red River had a good weekend at the Northwestern State team camp. They will look to continue that momentum into the tilt with the Homer Pelicans. Homer has not played since last Monday’s summer league games. They should have their full roster for the game this evening so this contest will be a good one.
Key individual match-up: Earlier this summer with Louisiana Select, they share the same back court. Tonight they will be rivals looking to fill it up the stat sheet. E’maryeon McDonald and Jayshun Miller are two of the most prolific scoring point guards in the lower classes in Louisiana. Each one of them can shoot the ball from deep and drive to the basket. This one might come down to who has the ball in their hands last.
Prediction: Red River
Other games: Southwood vs Green Oaks; BTW-Shreveport vs Woodlawn; Captain Shreve vs Calvary
The first game will begin at 2pm