Five Standouts: Thomas Jefferson versus Lincoln

<p>On Tuesday the Lincoln Lancers and Thomas Jefferson faced-off in a very important battle for the two schools that seen the Lancers edge out the Spartans in a 73-71 overtime thriller that came down to the final seconds. There were plenty of runs ran by both teams in the game but here we focus on five players that stood out in the game.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/keshaun-taylor/">Keshaun Taylor</a> has quite the half</strong></p> <p>The Spartans hung around with the Lancers but the only reason that is is because <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/keshaun-taylor/">Keshaun Taylor</a> had the best half of his season. In fact, his 19 that he had in the first half matched a career-high for him. He was able to hit four 3-pointers in the half, he got to the rim and finished and also the Spartans started to have him bring the ball up the court as his assertiveness got the Lancers into foul trouble as they could not match his physicality. Taylor is typically known for his high flying act but in this one, he was able to keep the Spartans in the game with his ability to attack. He was very aggressive in the first half. He did not score in the second half however and that is something that TJ will have to work on. Why not feed the hot hand? But his ability to turn on in such a way kept his team in the game and is why they were able to go into overtime.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ryan-moe/">Ryan Moe</a> is underrated</strong></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ryan-moe/">Ryan Moe</a> is a guard that plays within the flow of the offense and controls pace. He does not hold the ball over over dribble. He does not force shots and is always on the move. But in this game, Lincoln gave him a few open looks and he buried them. Moe went on a couple of scoring flurries by himself. In the fourth quarter, he went for eight straight points to get the Spartans within striking distance. He hit a step-back 3-pointer followed by another 3-pointer and capped it off with a layup. He also made some good passes with both hands to open teammates and took some tough shots in overtime that gave them a chance to win it, unfortunately for him they came up short. He put together 23 points in the game while hitting five 3-pointers and is a player to watch moving forward.</p> <p><strong>Johnathan Kuyumba offers assistance</strong></p> <p>I have seen the Lancers play multiple times and for some reason, Kuyumba is a player that I had not recognized but made a huge impact in the game. He was all over the place and he made sure that his impact was felt. He brought the ball up the court and offered additional guard duties, he shot open looks and buried two 3-pointers in the game which made it difficult for TJ to stay in their zone that they had and he also found the open man as he finished with four assists in the game. The Lancers are a pretty good team when they get their other players to step up and his confidence was very high in this one as he finished with 11 points in the game.</p> <p><strong>Tijani Bamba shows up when it matters</strong></p> <p>Bamba had a very slow start to the game as he was not able to get his outside shot going and the Spartans made it a point to go into a zone in an attempt to slow him down. It worked for a good portion of the game but when you have a player that talented bottled up for some long and the game is on the line, he is going to do everything in his power to make sure that he takes over. Bamba did all that he could to ensure the victory for the Lancers. He got to the lane late and converted two and-1 finishes. He also ran the baseline and found holes in the defense to make the Spartans pay. He finished with 15 points in the game with half of those points coming in winning time and while he took a step back he still made sure to get on the board and also swing the ball to the open man. Being able to affect the game even when you’re not scoring the ball in ways that you’re used to is the way of a leader and Bamba is a leader.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ty-foster/">Ty Foster</a> dominates inside</strong></p> <p>Foster did not hit a 3-pointer in the game but when you have speed and strength and possess the ability to get to your spots you don’t have to. Foster made it a point to get inside and disrupt the Spartan's defense. TJ went into a zone and attempted to slow the Lancers down and he broke that defense down. Then late in the game, he was able to put the team on his back as the Spartans made a push. He finished with 21 points in the game to lead all Lancers players.</p>