5 Takeaways: Plano West vs Hebron

<p>The high school basketball season is finally getting under way in Texas. I got to see the Plano West Wolves square off against the Hebron Hawks Tuesday night and was impressed by a number of things I saw. </p> <p>Hebron controlled this game from start to finish. Plano West made a run to cut the lead to 11 early in the third quarter, but the Hawks were able to weather the storm and maintain a double-digit advantage throughout the contest. Hebron improved to 1-0 on the year after their 66-36 win over Plano West, who fall to 0-2 after the loss. </p> <p>Here are five takeaways from the game:</p> <h4><strong>Hebron never let the game get away from them</strong></h4> <p>Like I said in the intro, Hebron never allowed Plano West to cut the lead to single digits once they got things going in the second quarter. They achieved this by refusing to settle on offense and getting consecutive stops at the other end. <strong>Nasir Washington</strong> and <strong>Alex Williams</strong> really stood out on defense. Even when the Wolves were able to put together a quick run, the Hawks were always ready to answer. This was a really strong performance from them in their season opener. </p> <h4><strong>Hebron has a lot of fire power on offense</strong></h4> <p>The Hawks have numerous guys who can contribute offensively. It's always a plus when you don't have to rely on one or two players to provide all of your scoring. They have multiple players who can get inside and score off the drive. That pairs well with the shooting ability of senior point guard <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/logan-mclaughlin/">Logan McLaughlin</a></strong>. Senior power forward <strong>Reese Smith</strong> also lit it up from behind the arc Tuesday night. He came off the bench for Hebron and hit four threes in this game. </p> <h4><strong>Logan McLaughlin is a stud</strong></h4> <p>The Abilene Christian commit really shined in his first outing of the season. He showed that he is a dynamic scorer and can-do damage from all three levels. McLaughlin has in-the-gym range from behind the three-point line and is comfortable shooting from the catch as well as off the bounce. I was really impressed with his ability to make unbalanced shots. He is a gifted jump shooter, but also isn't afraid to put it on the ground and drive the lane, which he did at the end of the second quarter when <a href="https://twitter.com/MWelchSLM/status/1196974474488418311">he split the defense and threw down and emphatic dunk</a> as time expired in the first half. The senior floor general is going to be a superb four-year player at the next level. He finished with 21 points. </p> <h4><strong>Plano West has a really solid backcourt duo</strong></h4> <p>The Wolves had a tough night on the road vs. the Hawks, but I did see some flashes from their lead guards. <strong>Oscar Ochoa</strong> is an excellent facilitator at the point guard position. He is an accurate passer and made some nice dishes in traffic. The senior can get inside and convert on some tough contested layups too. Additionally, shooting guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chase-ross/"><strong>Chase Ross</strong></a> is easily Plano West's best scoring option. He proved that he can hit the three but really shines when he is attacking the basket. </p> <h4><strong>Chase Ross is a problem when he gets downhill</strong></h4> <p>Ross can really fly. He was inches away from posterizing an opponent in transition on two separate occasions, both of which he was fouled on. The 2021 prospect is at his best when he gets downhill. I'd like to see him get inside more instead of settling for jumpers or differing to other teammates for three-point shots, but that's not the way things work in today's era of analytics-based basketball, so it's understandable. Regardless, he is a very athletic guard with a lot of upside. </p>