10 Best: Trinity Episcopal vs. St. Anne’s-Belfield
I was back at Trinity Episcopal after I spent the weekend there for the Virginia Challenge, and this time it was a Prep League matchup between St. Anne’s-Belfield of Charlottesville and Trinity Episcopal. Both teams are relatively young and have…
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Continue ReadingI was back at Trinity Episcopal after I spent the weekend there for the Virginia Challenge, and this time it was a Prep League matchup between St. Anne’s-Belfield of Charlottesville and Trinity Episcopal. Both teams are relatively young and have had their ups and downs this year, and while the matchup was intriguing there’s no way we could have expected such a great game.
STAB came out early and showed their weren’t intimidated by TES or their size, and they got out to a quick lead after some made shots. However, Trinity got into their press midway through the first and STAB struggled with it, and the Titans ended on a run and were ahead 18-14 after the first. In the second quarter it looked like the Titans were about to pull away as their role players stepped up big and made some shots. Senior Mike Lomax hit four threes in the second quarter, and Trinity headed into the locker room up 45-33.
The third quarter started out a little slow, but things started to turn up as juniors Michael Poindexter and Nick Reese started making things happen for STAB. They were able to cut the deficit to 6 heading into the fourth, which set up a final round in a heavyweight fight. TES pushed the lead to double digits again, but senior Dalton Taylor rolled off 14 straight for STAB as they kept clawing their way back in. They cut the deficit to just three with the final possession, but weren’t able to get a shot off as Trinity got a steal and bucket to seal it. Trinity walked away victorious 77-72 to defend their home court in a Conference matchup.
MVP: Henry Coleman | Trinity Episcopal 2020
Coleman has been putting up tremendous numbers this season, and while he didn’t have the best outing today he still did a little bit of everything on the way to a close victory. One of the more positive things we’ve seen of late is as the TES role players become more confident and comfortable, Coleman is trusting his teammates more and showing he’s a pretty good passer as well. The 6’8” nationally ranked hybrid forward finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists on the game.
Best Offensive Performer: Michael Lomax | Trinity Episcopal 2019
Their sixth man that usually brings energy on both ends, Lomax caught fire in the first half and shot the ball confidently throughout the game. A three-and-d kind of guy, the 6’0” senior hit his first three early in the second quarter, and as the quarter went on they kept finding him. He hit three consecutive three-pointers toward the end of the second quarter to go into the half 4-for-4 from deep. While he missed a few in the third quarter, Lomax stepped up and hit some big shots down the stretch with STAB battling back, and made a key defensive play getting a steal on the final possession. He finished with a team high 19 points, going 5-for-8 from deep, and pitched in three steals.
Best Defensive Performer: Nick Reese | STAB 2020
At about 6’1”, Reese took the challenge of guarding Coleman at about 6’8” and did a pretty good job considering that he’s been putting up 30 and 40 all year and he held him to just 18 points on the game. A gritty and athletic guard, Reese shadowed Coleman all game, denying him the ball, making him work for every shot and he did a good job keeping him off the offensive glass for the most part. He was no slouch offensively either, as he finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds and five assists.
Best Guy off the Bench: Malachi Poindexter | STAB 2020
It’s great to see Poindexter back on the floor and being productive after a long stretch of injury bugs that have bit him the past couple of seasons. In his first game back, STAB brought Poindexter off the bench to get acclimated but he wasted no time showing what he does best which is make shots. At 6’3”, Poindexter can catch-and-shoot from deep, is able to create space and score from the midrange off the bounce and he moves and cuts well to get easy shots too. He took good shots for the most part and made good decisions as well. He finished with a team high 19 points, going 8-for-13 from the field and 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
Best Intangibles: Tyler Michael | Trinity Episcopal 2019
Michael has become more and more of an important piece for this TES team because he can make shots, he’s tough and plays hard on both ends and he doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. While he struggled against some pressure late, Michael had a stellar game all around, making the most of his opportunities and made plays for others as well. He finished with 13 points and 8 assists.
Best Under-the-Radar Performer: Dalton Taylor | STAB 2019
As mentioned before, Taylor had a run in the fourth quarter where he almost single handedly brought STAB back from down double digits. In the first half he deferred a lot more, showing his ability to run a team and make plays for others. As the fourth rolled around, he knew it was time to take over and he did. He picked up full court forcing a couple of turnovers, drilled a few catch-and-shoot threes and somehow finished in traffic regularly despite his size. He finished with 19 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and two steals. Small schools should be all over this kid.
Best Underclassman: Justin Taylor | STAB 2022
Taylor didn’t have his best game of the season only finishing with 7 points and never really being able to get into a rhythm offensively, but you could see the potential for him to possibly be a high major kid moving forward. At 6’5” he has good length on the perimeter, knows the game and has a solid skill set. Shooting is his best attribute, and while he couldn’t get it going in that department he did enough to still impact the game in other ways. He’ll be a guy coaches should have on their radar moving forward for sure.
Best Skilled Big: Burke Smith | Trinity Episcopal 2020
Smith was solid all game long for TES, as he used his 6’11” frame to finish over guys and rebound the basketball effectively. Known as a stretch kind of big, he converted many shots in the paint on high-low passes and seals, and he did so by keeping it high and finishing through traffic. He showed improved athleticism with a couple dunks and his ability to stretch the floor is always something you have to account for. He finished with 14 points and 9 rebounds.
Best Little Guard: Messiah Woods | STAB 2019
At about 5’7”, Woods isn’t intimidating anyone physically, but he showed that he’s able to create space and make shots with his quickness and change of pace. He finished with 15 points on the game hitting three from behind the arc, and he probed the defense at will with his ability to blow by and get in the lane. He was impressive and is another sleeper for small schools to take a look at.
Best Moment: Henry Coleman 1,000 Point Celebration
Before the game, nationally ranked Henry Coleman was honored for scoring his 1,000 point at Trinity Episcopal. Not in his career, at Trinity Episcopal. Coleman hit the mark on Friday night in a win over Benedictine. Coleman transferred to TES at the beginning of his sophomore year last season, and reached the milestone in less than 50 games. If that isn’t impressive, I’m not sure what is.