2020 City of Oaks Classic: What We Learned from Piedmont Classical vs. Holly Springs

Jay Anderson January 12, 2020 @ 09:00 AM

<p>In Game 1 of the 2020 City of Oaks Classic, Holly Springs and Piedmont Classical squared off. Here's a look at what we learned.</p> <h5>Holly Springs jumps out on the Bobcats early, but they respond</h5> <p>It looked like an upset in the early going as the Holly Springs Golden Hawks and Piedmont Classical Bobcats faced off in the opening game of the City of Oaks Classic. The Golden Hawks led after the first quarter 17-10 but the Bobcats would go on a run of their own in the second quarter. Piedmont Classical went on a 10-2 run to take a 20-19 with 4:45 left in the first half. At the half, The Bobcats were led by 2021 guard <strong>Jamarii Thomas </strong>who had 12 points and four steals at the half. 2021 forward <strong>Dante Kiesenhofer </strong>led the way for Holly Springs with seven points and six rebounds.</p> <h5>Jamarii Thomas can take control on both ends</h5> <p>In the second half, Piedmont Classical looked to Jamarii Thomas to get things done and that he did, with 14 points in the second half and three more steals to finish with 26 points and seven steals to lead the way for the Bobcats in their 63-53 victory. He trusted his teammates on defense to force turnovers and turned them into easy points in the end. He also went 9-for-11 from the free-throw line.</p> <h5>Trent McIntyre hits key shots</h5> <p>At key moments, unsigned senior <strong>Trent McIntyre </strong>hit some key shots in the game. He finished the game with 12 points and two steals on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor. He also snagged four rebounds, using a few to make plays on his own off the dribble. As he finds ways to make an impact in other ways, he's a prospect due for some attention from college programs.</p> <h5>Holly Springs Double-Double Duo not enough</h5> <p>The frontcourt duo of 2020 <strong>Kaleb Scott </strong>and 2021 <strong>Dante Kiesenhofer </strong>wasn't enough to overwhelm the Bobcats, though both finished with double-doubles. Scott put up 14 points and 10 rebounds while Kiesenhofer finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. On the bright side, Holly Springs outrebounded the Bobcats 32-27, but it didn't translate to the scoreboard as evidenced by the result. </p> <h5>Max Robertson worth a look</h5> <p><strong>Max Robertson </strong>is an unsigned senior in the Holly Springs backcourt that stepped up big with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists in their game against Piedmont Classical. The 6-foot-4 guard has stepped up quite a bit since the loss of <strong>Marcus Elliott </strong>due to injury. He's a prospect to keep an eye on as another signing period approaches.</p>