Five Takeaways: MIAA A Conference Championship Game
Yesterday at APGFCU Arena, the MIAA Conference Championship games took place. The prime time slot was saved for the A Conference game between St. Frances and Mt. St. Joe. These conference rivals have met twice prior to yesterday’s game. The…
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Continue ReadingYesterday at APGFCU Arena, the MIAA Conference Championship games took place. The prime time slot was saved for the A Conference game between St. Frances and Mt. St. Joe. These conference rivals have met twice prior to yesterday’s game. The Gaels took both regular season match-ups.
It’s very difficult to beat a team three times. St. Frances proved that theory correct, as they won their fifth MIAA A Conference title in school history by a final score of 77-61.
Here are our five takeaways from the match-up:
Baldwin and West pace the Panthers
The pair of juniors led the way for St. Frances offensively, as they’ve done the entire season. Ace Baldwin finished with a team-high 28 points and scored in just about every way possible. The 6-foot guard connected on three triples, hit nine free-throws and had multiple strong takes to the basket in the half court. He did a great job of getting quick isolations on the left side of the floor and realizing the back line rotations of Mt. St. Joe weren’t there. The off-ball defenders didn’t see the ball and by the time they did, Baldwin was laying it in.
Jamal West redeemed himself from the last time these two teams met. The 6-foot-5 forward recorded 23 points and was an absolute force in the paint. He had multiple two-handed dunks that ignited the St. Frances faithful. When he wasn’t throwing it down, he was catching the ball on the block and bullying his way to the rim, finishing with soft touch.
Bishop does all he can
There’s little doubt that LSU commit James Bishop is one of the most natural scorers you’ll find in the country. His 28-point outing last night kept the Gaels in the game until the fourth quarter when the Panthers completely changed their defensive attack. Bishop did the majority of his damage off the dribble, taking his man to the basket or pulling up from mid-range. He did an outstanding job of seeking contact on his drive in the second quarter, scoring seven of his nine points in that frame from the charity stripe. In the third quarter, he scored nine of his team’s 14 points, but the Gaels trailed by three heading into the fourth before the Panthers ran away.
The defensive adjustment that changed the game
When the fourth quarter began, the Panthers had a 51-48 lead and had momentum from a strong ending to the third quarter. For the final eight minutes, St. Frances resulted to a 2-3 zone and a box-in one defense on Bishop. The mixture of these two flustered Mt. St. Joe and stalled their half court execution. The Panthers outscored the Gaels 26-13 in the final frame, limiting Bishop to just four points. Senior guard Chad Brown was the man assigned to Bishop while they were in the box-in one defense. He face-guarded Bishop and wasn’t concerned with anything else that was going on. It proved to be extremely effective. The change in defenses changed this game entirely.
The future of Mt. St. Joe
While a ton of offensive production lies on the shoulders of Bishop, the younger players, especially sophomore guard Ausar Crawley and freshman Antonio Hamlin have improved dramatically over the course of the season. In this particular game, Crawley finished with 12 points while Hamlin chipped in with 10. The two were making big time plays off the dribble to assist Bishop. Crawley has the potential to be a top three player in the MIAA by the time he leaves as a senior. His ability to make plays, facilitate and defend at a high-level is difficult to ignore. Hamlin plays with pure toughness and is much stronger than most freshmen. As his confidence grows as a scorer, his all-around game will improve and his impact will be significant.
Could we see a fourth match-up between these two teams?
Yes. In fact, we could see yet another championship game between them this coming Sunday if both advance to the BCL title game. St. Frances still trails in this particular match-up 1-2, but they won the most important game. Just like the Panthers had a chance to redeem themselves, Mt. St. Joe may have a chance to do the same in six days. Will they be ready for the Panthers’ adjusted defense?