Five Takeaways: St. John’s vs DeMatha

<p>On Thursday night I went to <strong>DeMatha</strong> for my second time this week as they hosted <strong>St. John's</strong> in a pivotal WCAC matchup for both teams. This game was very close throughout but at the end it was DeMatha that ended up squeezing by the Cadets 78-65. Here I recap five takeaways I have from the game.</p> <p><strong>Hunter Dickinson Can’t Be Slowed Down</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 7’0 junior has been on a tear all year long and it does not look like anyone is going to be able to slow him down. He finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks against St. John’s and was the centerpiece for the Stags win. Mike Jones and his staff made sure that the DeMatha guards were feeding him the ball down low as much as possible because there was no stopping him when he would back down the St. John’s defenders. On defense, he protects the rim at a high level and makes it extremely difficult for smaller guards to score at the rim. Dickinson continues to show why he is rated as one of the top post men in the country.</span></p> <p><strong>Earl Timberlake Puts On A Show</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In front of the whole <strong>Providence</strong> coaching staff tonight, Timberlake did not disappoint finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Timberlake is one of the strongest players in the WCAC which allows him to outmuscle many players to grab rebounds and also allows him to take his defenders to the rim. He can separate himself well from others and is starting to get his jumper more consistent. It looks like that a lot of team are not respecting him as a shooter and he is starting to make them pay.</span></p> <p><strong>Jalin Abbott Is Playing Good Ball</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jalin has impressed the past few times I have seen him play and looks to be a really solid pickup for <strong>St. Thomas Aquinas</strong>. He has been a spark off the bench for St. John’s by playing hard and making key plays for the Cadets. He has been shooting the ball well and if he keeps this going, it will play dividends for St. John’s in the latter part of the year.</span></p> <p><strong>DeMatha Is More Than The Known Stars</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Everybody knows about the guys who will be suiting up for mid and high maor programs but Mike Jones has been going to some unknown guys and at times when they are in some close games. This week against <strong>Gonzaga</strong> and <strong>St. John’s</strong>, Jones has put in <strong>2020 Donovan Miller</strong> and <strong>2022 Tyrell Ward</strong>. Like we mentioned before, he has also inserted <strong>2019 Joshua Wallace</strong> into the starting lineup.</span></p> <p><strong>WCAC Standings</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This win keeps DeMatha at top of the conference and continues to play like the team to beat. There is still a long way to play in the regular season but many people are picking them to be the number 1 seed in the WCAC tournament. As for St. John’s, they are still lacking that big victory. They have been in very close games with the conference’s best programs but can never squeak out the victory. They will have another chance this Saturday to get a signature win as they go up against <strong>Bishop O’Connell</strong>.</span></p>