4 things I learned in Wooddale’s win over Hillcrest
The defending TSSAA Class AA state champion Wooddale had its hands full Monday night in the third quarter against a Hillcrest team that was looking for a signature win to open up the 2019 season.
After a technical foul against the Vikings, with the game in reach at 47-43, the Cardinals went on a 14-0 run to take a comfortable 61-43 lead at the top of the fourth quarter. Wooddale outscored Hillcrest 60-32 in the second half to win the game 89-56. Junior guard Jalen Brown was one of the big highlights in the second half, knocking down three-consecutive shots from 3-point range.
Senior guards Johnathan Duncan and Kevin Brown and junior guard/forward Johnathan Lawson made free throws down the stretch to seal the game. Lawson finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. Kevin Brown added 13 points, four assists and four steals. Duncan finished with 10 points, four assists and four rebounds.
From start to finish, I paid attention to how Wooddale played against the Vikings. Here are four things I learned from the Cardinals’ win:
Wooddale’s second unit needs to step up
Hillcrest got back into the game when Cardinals head coach Keelon Lawson sat his starters in the second quarter. He mentioned to me after the game that he was trying to see what he has on the bench. As of right now, Wooddale doesn’t have much to look forward to after its starting five. The reserves scored just six points in the second quarter after the starters built a 23-8 lead. Four of the six points came off free throws. E. Javion Mays and Marko Rosemond went 2 for 2.
Jalen Brown’s performance was light work
The junior finished the night with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, but Brown could have scored between 35-40 points if his coach had played him in the second quarter. The 6-foot-4 scoring guard is a tough task. He can shoot off the dribble. Brown can get his shot off with a defender in his face. Scoring 20 points is easy for Brown to do. He also went 5 for 6 from the free throw line.
Free throw shooting was a plus, but can improve
Wooddale made 26 of 41 shots from the charity stripe. That’s only 63.4 percent. Duncan, Lawson, Rosemond, Jalen Brown and Kevin Brown combined to make 24 of 32 free throw attempts. The rest of the team went 2 for 9. The Cardinals’ free throw shooting will need to improve as the season progresses.
Wooddale can’t get sluggish against Christian Brothers
The Cardinals will be on the road Tuesday night at Christian Brothers. The Purple Wave are led by sophomore point guard Chandler Jackson and junior guard Reese McMullen. Christian Brothers has junior guards Eli Federman and Harrison Kelly and seniors Spencer Stalnaker and Samuel Spence and sophomore Zion Owens. Wooddale can’t afford to score just six points in a quarter against a team that’s offensively gifted.
