Notes: East Lake at Countryside

<p>Fresh off its first loss of the season last Saturday against Doral at the Wally Keller Classic, East Lake got back to work and looked strong with a 79-43 road win over Countryside on Thursday night.</p> <p>The trio of 2020 guards Dionte Blanch and Jordan Hillmon and 2021 guard Dean Gabrelcik combined for 62 total points as the Eagles (18-1) have now won their last two matchups against Countryside by an average of 38 points per game.</p> <p>Here is a look at some notes from the outing.</p> <h3><strong>Blanch makes it look easy</strong></h3> <p>Sitting out the entire fourth quarter with the game in hand, 2020 6'3" Murray State signee <strong>Dionte Blanch</strong> still finished with a game-high 30 points. That marked his fifth 30-point outing as it simply looks easy out there for the senior. Blanch recorded 22 points at the half and was relentless on the attack, routinely blowing past the Countryside defense, drawing contact and finishing at the rim. He doesn't back down from anyone and plays with endless confidence. A hard nosed player, Blanch doesn't complain to the referees or talk back, he simply plays the game that he loves.</p> <h3><strong>Hillmon is dangerous</strong></h3> <p>With 10 points in the first quarter and seven of his team's first nine points, 2020 5'9" guard <strong>Jordan Hillmon </strong>set the tone from the jump. His shooting ability always hurts defenses, but his ball skills are equally as dangerous as he is quick with his passes and always moving the ball around. Hillmon is one of the most underrated players in the state. Despite being undersized, he's way more than a shooter and his two-way presence is always noticeable.</p> <h3><strong>Gabrelcik gets going</strong></h3> <p>The decision making from 2021 6'3" East Lake guard <strong>Dean Gabrelcik </strong>is getting better and better. Playing alongside Blanch and Hillmon, he feeds off their high IQ ability and decisiveness. Gabrelcik was getting into good areas inside and hitting the mid-range floater often. He had seven third quarter points and found a rhythm. Finishing with 17 points, he takes smart jumpers and seems to always be moving around the floor.</p> <h3><strong>Shane and Bittar battle</strong></h3> <p>The 2021 duo of 6'1" guard <strong>Mikey Shane</strong> and 2021 6'3" guard <strong>Anthony Bittar</strong> did all they could in this loss. Shane had a quartet of 3's including three in the second quarter alone as he tried to keep his side afloat. He took control of the ball after a hard first quarter in which Countryside turned the ball over quite a bit. Bittar had some crafty takes to the rim, but proved that with his size and athleticism that he might be best served to play with his back to the basket more often than not. He had the first basket of the game which ultimately was the only lead all night for the Cougars at 2-0. Countryside still has time to figure this all out.</p> <h3><strong>Chatman and Hurst are tough underclassmen</strong></h3> <p>Each scoring six points, the effort level from the pair of East Lake underclassmen, 2022 6'1" guard <strong>Noah Chatman</strong> and 2023 6' guard <strong>Henry Hurst </strong>was a pleasure to watch. Both players are leaned upon to get rebounds, gritty lay-ins and work inside as undersized forwards in this offense. Chatman hit two 3's in the second half with the game in hand and had a couple of true effort boards as he crashed inside. Hurst is a strong freshman who continues to battle and make plays and it was no different for him in this one. His upside is through the roof.</p>