Three Things I liked: St. Charles vs. Lackey

Adam Ayalew

February 14, 2019 @ 11:00 AM

<p><em>WALDORF, MD</em> -- St. Charles picked up a 61-57 win at home over a very good Lackey team on Wednesday night. The Spartans have now won three straight and are rounding into form at the right time. Below is a rundown of three things I liked from this contest. </p> <h2>ST. CHARLES' LENGTH AND VERSATILITY</h2> <p>Everyone in the St. Charles starting lineup is listed between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-7. This is something you don't see too often at this level, especially at a public school. The Spartans are versatile on both ends of the court, and have the ability to switch defensively at virtually every position, but they don't have a true point guard in the lineup. 2020 prospect <strong>Omar McGann</strong>, listed at 6-foot-2, wasn't the only one who showed that he could handle the ball. Fellow junior <strong>Darius Miles</strong>, who is listed at 6-foot-7, also assumed some of the ball-handling duties. 6-foot-4 senior <strong>Anthony Bowman</strong> also handled it, and was tough to stop off the bounce. Rounding out the starting five are 2020 <strong>Tremaine Chesley</strong> and 2019 <strong>E'Mari Johnson</strong>, both of whom are listed at 6-foot-4 and can defend at a high level. Coming off the bench the Spartans also have 6-foot-4 sophomore <strong>Jaiden Butler</strong> is a strong inside presence and space eater who collects rebounds. 6-foot-6 senior <strong>Cam Chesley</strong> also adds some depth in the front court with his length.</p> <h2>LACKEY'S TOUGHNESS AND GUARD PLAY</h2> <p><strong>Rasheed Cooley</strong> was the primary standout for Lackey, and should emerge from his sleeper status soon. Listed at 6-foot-1, Cooley is a long-limbed floor general with a tight handle, devastating quickness, the ability to consistently create separation off the bounce, hit shots from all over the court, impressive vision, feel, and toughness. He checks a lot of boxes, and is a high academic student who should probably get some scholarship level looks. The other standout for the Chargers was Eric Rowland, a rangy class of 2020 wing who is listed at 6-foot-5. Rowland demonstrated impressive body control and touch when finishing inside the paint, and played with relentless energy on the defensive side of the ball. </p> <h2>THE 2-2-1 PRESS</h2> <p>St. Charles found themselves trailing by 10 points at halftime, and started the second half in a 2-2-1 press. This was the same press that Duke used in their comeback vs. Louisville the other night. We mentioned earlier that Chesley is one of the best defenders in the state. His superb activity level at the top of the press permeated throughout the rest of the team as they forced several turnovers and got back into the game.</p>