Five observations: Central vs. Fairfax

<p>The Central Bobcats defeated the Fairfax Stampede, 73-50, in 5A basketball on January 15. The Stampede kept it close early, but good shooting and perimeter defense helped Central take a lead in in the second quarter that it would never lose.</p> <p>Here are five takeaways from the game:</p> <p><strong>Central is very perimeter-oriented:</strong></p> <p>The Bobcats have a pretty small line-up, with many of their taller players out or wearing street clothes with injury. In this game, <strong>Greg Butler</strong>, who is listed as a shooting guard, jumped center to start the game. Central plays good perimeter defense, led by guards like <strong>Jailind Bunton</strong> who are tough to beat off the dribble. However, they do not have a traditional center most of the time to guard the rim and secure easy rebounds. They will need to play even better team defense down the stretch and in the playoffs to make up for this.</p> <p><strong>With that said, the Bobcats can really shoot:</strong></p> <p>Led by <strong>Cinsere West</strong>, who knocked down some flashy and effective jumpers in this game, most of the players on the court can shoot from outside at all times for the Bobcats. <strong>Eric Lira</strong> runs the offensive show a lot of the time when he's on the floor. Though he often struggled to shoot in this game, as he has some of the year, he made great passes to the other four, who knocked down a lot of jumpers.</p> <p><strong>I really like the effort I saw from Billy Coleman-Tuitavuki:</strong></p> <p>Look, it's really hard to stay motivated on a team that is now 5-14, and seemingly out of any sort of playoff contention save for a miracle season-ending run. However, the senior played incredibly hard all game, getting to the basket for lay ups and kicks to open teammates, and competing on defense every possession. Whether it's for college prospects, or just for personal pride, his effort did not go unnoticed.</p> <p><strong>Fairfax has some good, young players:</strong></p> <p>I wouldn't blame the Stampede for looking toward the future after this senior-heavy group. Fairfax, though, has some quality sophomores and freshman, like point guard <strong>Eric Nelson</strong> and sophomore <strong>Daylon Jordan</strong> who are already competing at the varsity level, but will certainly will continue to grow. Though this year is rough, next season and the year after could be brighter.</p> <p><strong>Central just knows how to win:</strong></p> <p>The Bobcats are currently ranked No. 9 in 5A with a 15-4 record, having lost incredibly-close games to teams like <strong>Millennium</strong> and <strong>Sunnyslope</strong> who will possibly make late-season runs. The Bobcats, undersized and underrated, just keep winning games with a senior-led group. Players like <strong>Kelyl Harrington</strong> and the other senior players just grind really hard, and seem to be able to win some games with pure effort.</p>