Sprague 73, McNary 63 (OT): Most Intriguing Prospects
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This season has had its ups and downs for Sprague as the young team has been learning on the fly. The plan was not to repeat that during their Thursday night home game against McNary, but the Olympians quick found…
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Continue ReadingThis season has had its ups and downs for Sprague as the young team has been learning on the fly. The plan was not to repeat that during their Thursday night home game against McNary, but the Olympians quick found themselves on another roller coaster ride, surviving a late run by the Celtics to force overtime and then ran off ten straight points of their own in the final period to capture an important 73-63 win.
At first it appeared that Sprague would run away with the game as the Olympians shot lights out and shot out to a 31-20 halftime lead. But McNary slowly chipped away, especially from three-point range behind senior Griffin Oliveira and sophomore Nate Meithoff. And when Boston Smith scored a layup and drew a foul with just under three minutes left to go, McNary led 57-56. The teams traded baskets and it was knotted up at 63 at the end of regulation.
That was the end of McNary’s run though as in overtime, Sprague shut out the Celtics, scoring ten straight points and hitting clutch free throws to capture the much-needed league win.
“We needed to get tougher and that’s what we did,” said Sprague head coach Jordan Graneto. “When I took over this team in the summer, that’s a game we would have lost as we didn’t face adversity well and would wilt when things were going bad. But that’s not what we do now – we just found a way. It was a big-time win against a good team.”
Most intriguing college prospects from the game were:
Boston Smith (2019 McNary) – Smith is a traditional back-to-the-basket post. He is solid and strong, posts up with authority, and has good footwork and decent hands. The 6-foot-7 senior’s game is very much below the rim however and he did miss a couple of easy buckets in the first half. But overall he had a solid game in scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds. A good student, he projects as a D3/NAIA prospect.
Griffin Oliveira (2019 McNary) – Oliveira is a shooter who can create a little off the dribble. The 6-foot-2 senior was a little off in the first half going 1-for-5, but started to heat up in the second half as McNary made its comeback. He ended up with 12 points including a couple of made threes, along with four rebounds and two assists. He is a potential D3/NAIA/JC prospect.
Ethan Flanigan (2019 Sprague) – Flanigan is a lanky wing/forward who is the only senior on the Sprague varsity roster. He has some decent length at 6-foot-5 and is creative with the basketball, showing the ability to hit threes and create his own shot off the dribble. On the night he finished with 14 points including a three, three rebounds, and two assists. He needs to get stronger but has potential as a D3/NAIA player, perhaps starting out in JC.
Mason Lomax (2020 Sprague) – Lomax is a combo guard who at 6-foot-2, since Sprague lacks size, has been playing more up front. Offensively, he’s a creator and is tough off the dribble, able to finish near the hoop or on pull-ups. One thing we noticed about Lomax is that after leaping he is able to adjust his shot to the defense, either releasing at the apex or on the way down effectively. Lomax was also tough on free throws down the stretch, displaying a clutch gene. With further development as a point guard, Lomax could potentially be a fringe D1 or solid D2 prospect.
Kobe Withers (2020 Sprague) – A 5-foot-11 combo guard, Withers has the ability to score from just about anywhere on the court. He shot 3-for-5 from three but also nailed some pull-up jumpers, a couple of fadeaways, and also converted several layups. On defense he played the passing lanes and snatched a number of steals that led to easy buckets. Currently he projects as a D2/D3/NAIA type prospect.
Nate Meithoff (2021 McNary) – Meithoff may be actually shorter than the 6-foot-4 he’s listed at but he’s definitely long and athletic. The sophomore wing started off slow and tentative but as the game moved along, he started to step up and be more assertive on both ends. The lefty has a good looking stroke from range and he can also create off the dribble fairly well. Meithoff was active on the glass (four boards), unselfish with the ball (two assists), and not afraid to use his length on defense (two blocks).
Dallon Morgan (2023 Sprague) – Morgan is listed at 6-foot-7 and he’s not finished growing. His older brothers Harris and Tanner both finished at about 6-foot-9 and word is Dallon could be 6-foot-10 or even higher. At this stage he’s fairly thin but he has the frame to fill out like his brothers did. On the court, he ran the floor well and showed good effort in chasing down some rebounds. Head coach Graneto is bringing along Morgan slowly so he’s not playing major minutes, but he’s certainly a member of the Class of 2023 to watch.