Marlboro vs. Wall: Top 10
This was the first matchup of the quarterfinals in the WOBM Christmas Classic. No. 6 Marlboro was able to continue their hot start to the season and upset No. 3 Wall 84-69. Wall held a slim one point lead after…
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Continue ReadingThis was the first matchup of the quarterfinals in the WOBM Christmas Classic. No. 6 Marlboro was able to continue their hot start to the season and upset No. 3 Wall 84-69.
Wall held a slim one point lead after one quarter of play, but Marlboro quickly grabbed control of the game. They outscored Wall 24-14 in the second quarter and were able to cruise in the second half. Marlboro will face Toms River North in the semi-finals.
MVP: Alex Ratner, Marlboro
This was an easy choice. Marlboro has been scoring at a high rate this season and it is largely because of their point guard. Ratner absolutely dominated Wall in this game. He scored 24 of Marlboro’s 43 first half points. He finished with a career-high 36 points and made big plays all night long.
Best Defensive Performance: Aleksy Friedman, Marlboro
Friedman has a strong game on both sides of the ball. He scored 12 points on the offensive end but he made his presence felt on defensive. Friedman finished with nine rebounds and had a handful of steals throughout the game. He was all over the floor all night and seemed to be where the ball was at every point throughout the game.
Best Offensive Performance: Alex Ratner, Marlboro
Sometimes it is frowned upon to double up on awards but there is no way around this one. Ratner finished 14-19 from the field, including 2-3 from three-point range. Ratner also knocked down 6-8 from the free throw line. He was an offensive machine against Wall and clearly the best offensive player on the floor.
Play of the Game: Ratner Beats the Buzzer Twice
There is nothing that gains momentum more than a buzzer beater. Ratner was able to do this twice for Marlboro. His first came at the end of the first quarter and cut Wall’s lead to just one. He did it again before the halftime buzzer sounded. This shot capped a great second quarter for the Mustangs and set them up perfectly for the final 16 minutes.
Best Performance Off the Bench: Logan Peters, Wall
Peters came into the game and gave immediate production. He finished 4-5 from the field with eight points. He came up two points shy of a double-double as he grabbed 10 rebounds for Wall in the loss. Every team needs a player that can clean up the boards at a high rate and play strong defense while making some shots down low. That was Peters in this one.
Best Intangibles: Jonathan Spatola, Marlboro
Marlboro does not go very deep into their bench. Spatola played all but one minute in this win and he was a swiss army knife for Marlboro. He could not find the stroke from deep finishing just 1-6 from beyond the arc. Spatola found other ways to score as he finished with 14 points. He also added three rebounds and three assists. Spatola was the player who brought energy to the team by diving on the floor and making the necessary plays all night long.
Best Under-the-Radar Prospect: Patrick Lacey, Wall
Wall has been led by Quinn Calabrese for the past two seasons. He is a tremendous player in the Shore Conference but his teammate Lacey is right there with him. Lacey finished 8-16 against Marlboro with 18 points and three rebounds. He showed the ability to knock down shots from beyond the arc and finish using a soft touch in traffic. Lacey is a complete player and will be a huge x-factor for Wall this season.
Photo via TwitterBest Underclassman: Jack Seidler, Marlboro
Seidler will win this award in most games he plays this season. Seidler has been right there with Ratner as the Mustangs’ No. 1 option this season. He scored 26 points in each of their first two games and kept it going against Wall. The sophomore finished 8-12 from the field with 16 points. He also dished out three assists in the win. Seidler is a gifted offensive player with plenty of moves in his arsenal.
Best Story to Watch: The Youth of Marlboro
Marlboro has emerged as one of the top teams in the Shore Conference and they have done it on the shoulders of Ratner, who is a senior, and plenty of sophomores. The Mustangs are well represented in the Class of 2021. Marlboro has three sophomores in their starting lineup in Seidler, Spatola, and Jay Ratner. It will be amazing to see how these players grow and develop throughout the season. Marlboro is set up in a nice spot for years to come.
Best Rebounder: Colin Ackerman, Wall
Rebounding is not all about size, it is effort. At 6’0, Ackerman is not the biggest player on the floor but he gave the most effort against Marlboro. Ackerman finished with eight rebounds in the loss and plenty of them came in traffic. He grabbed a rebound on three straight possessions in the first quarter. Wall is a team that is gaurd oriented. Ackerman is one of those players who can give more than just scoring from the perimeter and he showed it in this game.