Paul VI vs DeMatha: Five Takeaways

<p>All eyes were on Madison Street Tuesday night as <strong>DeMatha</strong> played host to <strong>Paul VI</strong> in a big WCAC matchup that might have been the most entertaining game I have been to this year. The teams went back and forth all game long but it was eventually DeMatha getting the go ahead bucket with under a minute left to lift the Stags to a 62-60 win.</p> <h3><strong>DeMatha Wins With <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/earl-timberlake/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/earl-timberlake/">Earl Timberlake</a></a> Only Scoring Six Points</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lately it has been <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/earl-timberlake/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/earl-timberlake/">Earl Timberlake</a></a> coming up big for DeMatha in close knit games. That was different Tuesday night where he only finished with 6 points and wasn't necessarily looking for his shot or trying to score and part of this was the defense <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trevor-keels/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trevor-keels/">Trevor Keels</a></a> was playing on him. Once again we saw 2021 <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jordan-hawkins/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jordan-hawkins/">Jordan Hawkins</a></a> come up big and especially from deep as he hit the go ahead three with under a minute left. The junior finished with 19 points. Michigan commit <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/hunter-dickinson/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/hunter-dickinson/">Hunter Dickinson</a></a> also contributed with 17 points of his own including nine from deep.</span></p> <h3><strong>Dug McDaniel Impresses</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Known for his great handle, passing and overall playmaking ability, it was his shot that stood out for the Panthers Tuesday night. He hit three triples for PVI with two of them a good few steps from behind the three point line. If he continues with this progression, that will add another dynamic to his game.</span></p> <h3><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-reynolds/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-reynolds/">Will Reynolds</a></a> Was Huge Off The Bench</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The effort and production 2021 <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-reynolds/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-reynolds/">Will Reynolds</a></a></strong> brought onto the court can’t go unnoticed as he had two electric dunks in the first half. One was a tip slam where he came out of nowhere and the second one was a transition dunk that gave the Stags a ton of momentum early in the 2nd quarter. He also knotted in a three. It will be interesting to see how big of a role Reynolds could be for DeMatha heading into the final month of the season.</span></p> <h3><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jeremy-roach/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jeremy-roach/">Jeremy Roach</a></a> Showed Why He Is An All American</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jeremy-roach/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jeremy-roach/">Jeremy Roach</a></a> was terrific for PVI in doing everything in his power to help the Panthers come away win a win. Every time on the court it seems like he is doing something exciting where your jaw drops and this was the case Tuesday night. Defensively he had some nice deflections caused by his hustle on getting back on defense, which stopped some easy baskets for DeMatha. </span></p> <h3><strong>Tremendous Atmosphere</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nothing beats a big WCAC showdown and Tuesday was another perfect example of why it is the best high school league in the country. The gym was sold out 30 minutes before opening tip which is saying a lot due to the size of the DeMatha gym. It felt like a college game where the fans saw an absolute classic between two of the top teams in the country.</span></p>