Eastside Catholic vs. O’Dea Game Notes

<p>The most anticipated game of the year so far did not disappoint on MLK Day. I made the drive from the King Showcase in Kent to the plateau of Sammamish to capture the action. Eastside Catholic had the home court advantage and jumped out to an early lead, leading 24-11 after one, but O'Dea refused to go down without a fight. The two heavyweights would trade punches, but the first quarter run proved to be too much for O'Dea to overcome. Eastside Catholic would take the victory 79-69 in part of of this multiple game series with playoffs and state ahead. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Game Notes:</strong></span></p> <p>Eastside Catholic's pressure was intense! In some past games, they have not used an all out pressure, but seemed to catch O'Dea off guard by jumping on them in the first half. Unsigned senior <strong>Syon Blackmon </strong>was excellent on defense and also chipped in 9 points. 2021 6'5 SF <strong>Isaac Ticeson</strong> was also tough on that end of the floor, using his length and quick reaction times to cause havoc. He was also good for 9 points playing his role. The full court pressure and trapping corners was a total team effort as players rotated and used length to make it difficult for O'Dea guards to pass out of the pressure. </p> <p>2021 6'6 SF <strong>Shane Nowell</strong> (Feature image) came ready to play! He hit a beautiful three ball in rhythm early on and also hit from the mid range. He followed up the outside shots with some thunderous dunks that brought the house down. On the defensive end he was completely locked in and turned defense to offense. With an improved jumper, he is that much more difficult to defend. He finished with a skilled and athletic display off 11 points. </p> <p>O'Dea's change to a zone defense in the second quarter helped them to win the second quarter after digging themselves in a 13 point hole. Eastside Catholic prefers to play fast, so the coaching adjustment proved to help keep the Irish in the game, trailing by single digits headed into the half. </p> <p>I have been to games on both sides of the mountains and while I have seen some physical GSL games, they were not the same level of speed and physicality that was allowed in this Metro League matchup. They normally do not allow teams to play as physical in the playoffs or state tourney, but it was an interesting observation to see the difference in the way the game is played according to what the refs will allow. </p> <p>2021 6'10 PF <strong>Paolo Banchero </strong>was face guarded all night by unsigned senior <strong>Chika Nduka </strong>who came ready to compete and gave the Crusaders 9 points. Chika is a tough competitor and used to playing against top level talent. 2021 6'5 PF <strong>JT Tuimoloau </strong>started out a little slow, but picked things up as the game went along and gave the winning squad 10 big points along with his usual physicality we've come to expect from the number 1 football player in the country. </p> <p>Despite Paolo being face guarded, he still dropped 29 points. The key was he really had to work for those points and that's about all that can be done against a talent like him. The thing that stood out to me was his ability to see the floor and make fundamental passes out of the low post, high post and perimeter. He is a talented and willing passer! </p> <p>2021 6'4 SF <strong>Jermaine Davis </strong>finished with 10 points and displayed his athleticism. 2021 6'0 PG <strong>Dezjay Perkins </strong>chipped in 9, but 2021 D1 recruit <strong>John Christofolis </strong>only had 5. It will be very difficult for O'Dea to repeat if he is not a double digit scorer for them and he is fully capable of doing so. I expect him to have a breakout game in their next matchup. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Top Shots:</strong></span></p> <p>[robo-gallery id="919253"]</p>