5 Takeaways From Faith Lutheran Vs Bonanza

<p>The Faith Lutheran Crusaders continued their hot start to the season. Despite losing their top 4 scorers from a year ago, the Crusaders have raced to a 10-4 start. They captured another victory on Tuesday night by defeating conference rival Bonanza. They were lead by junior Azavier Johnson who Coach Bret Walters said "Played his best game tonight" He poured in 32 points and was all over the floor, assisting, defending and making plays for his teammates. Bonanza under 1st-year coach Kevin Soares kept it close, behind the shooting of senior Kendall Burrell who finished with 17 including 4 3's. In the end, Faith walked away with a 73-54 victory. Here are my 5 takeaways from Faith Lutheran vs Bonanza.</p> <p><strong>(1) Azavier Johnson Is One Of The Toughest Matchups In The State.</strong></p> <p>I'm not sure what you do with him. If you put a quick guard on him, he's just too strong and usually bullies them to the basket. If you try to put a bigger forward on him, he's too quick. His high IQ allows him to recognize and then take advantage of these mismatches. Whenever he had a smaller defender on him, he instinctively knew to take them to the post. When he's out on the perimeter, his vision and willingness to pass makes him even more dangerous as he is able to get teammates going with his playmaking ability. </p> <p><strong>(2) Kendall Burrell Has More Bodies Around Him Than Any Non Top 5 Player In The State.</strong></p> <p>Bonanza lost arguably their 2nd and 3rd best players before the season started, Because of this, Burrell is under immense pressure to score. He is one of the best off the dribble shooters in the state, but he constantly forced to shoot it with two or 3 defenders around him. The only other guys I see having to deal with this are Julian Strawther, Daishen Nix, and Jaden Hardy. Burrell, who is more of a scoring guard than point guard, is still almost unselfish to a fault, so he's reluctant to just jack up shots. As we move deeper into conference play, the storyline will be whether his other teammates can step up and take some of the scoring pressure off him.</p> <p><strong>(3) Jackson Williams Has An Amazing Feel For The Game.</strong></p> <p>Williams has become one of my favorite players to watch. He never hurts his team and is willing to do both little and big things to help them win. One of the best plays I saw him make on the night, was a catch in traffic, where instead of traveling he landed on two feet and made a quick touch pass to a teammate for an easy layup. He'll defend fullcourt and has the size and strength to battle for rebounds. Overall Williams is the perfect complement to the role that Johnson and some of the other Crusaders play.</p> <p><strong>(4) Karson Roberts Is One Of The Most Mature Freshmen In The State.</strong></p> <p>About 20 minutes in the game, I realized that Karson Roberts had been on the floor most of the game. This may sound like an insult until you realize that Roberts is a freshman. Perhaps his best trait right now is that he doesn't hurt his team. One of the main reasons why I didn't realize he was on the floor was because, there were no freshmen mistakes from him. No ill-advised shots, no sloppy turnovers. He certainly is a player with a bright future ahead of him.</p> <p><strong>(5) Faith Is Built For A Deep Playoff Run.</strong></p> <p>Last year I witnessed Glen Taylor at Cheyenne carry his team to a playoff birth. Faith Lutheran is starting to look similar. With Johnson playing the role of superstar and everyone else accepting a supporting cast role, this team can be dangerous. Tonight was the perfect blueprint. Johnson had 32, however, 8 other players scored. Having a guy that can get you a bucket when you need it, surrounded by shooters and capable role players is a formula that could serve the Crusaders well as the season goes on.</p>