Raiders Run Away

Tuesday evening Cleveland High School (22-0) brought in a worthy rival, the Bradley Central Bears, and proved again they are a state title contender.  Cleveland convincingly won, 63-49.

Here are five themes that emerged during their game.

Flourish of Triple Takers

Morrell Schramm and Kley McGowan buried open looks in the second quarter.  With their success CHS expanded the second quarter gap to 12 points.  Kley really picked the perfect spots around the arc and his teammates entrusted him with the looks. Morrell piggybacked off McGowan's hot-hand with his own wishing well toss.  

Cleveland's shooting touch noticeably slunk the shoulders slightly of the fighting Bears of Bradley Central. 

Teams with a star like JaCobi Wood (there are fewer than 3 in the state) usually don't play so unselfishly.  Cleveland's basketball team is an extension of Head Coach Reggie Tucker.  He himself is unselfish and works for others.  JaCobi does the same.

Tray "The Rarity" Curry

Tray Curry (Bradley Central) is an insane leaper, the likes of which most teams simply do not have.  Curry jumped over three Cleveland Blue Raiders for an offensive rebound in the second quarter.  A minute later he yanked down another offensive rebound and instantly put the recovered ball up off the glass and in.  Tray is a bruising presence down deep.  Beyond a powerful rebounder he is a ridiculously bouncy man.

Cleveland tried rotating defenders on Curry and did better denying touches than they did preventing his rebounds.  

Stability Provided by JaCobi Wood

JaCobi easily scraped free of his defender out high, shrugged off a grasping hand, and dished to a baseline-slashing Morrell Schramm.  Schramm kicked to the weakside and James Hall delivered it back to the strongside.  Three unselfish, visionary passes ended with a Kley McGowan three-pointer.  

McGowan is a fantastic shooter.  To call him left alone doesn't do the offense justice.  Wood, Schramm, and Hall all could have taken challenged shot attempts on that possession.  Instead they skipped the ball around the pond and fished from the perfect spot.

The volume scorer and superstar JaCobi made wonderfully smart decisions over and over. 

The Mind Games of a Winner

JaCobi could score 30 points every regular season game.  He often does.  What makes his game degrees more daunting is the court vision and the system within which he plays.  Wood carved up the defense and still found teammates.  When Wood gets to the most weathered part of the wooden deck (inside the lane), he frequently hands off or kicks out.  

Defenders simply can't stop Wood when they know what he is going to do and yet he still keeps them guessing. 

An added benefit of Wood's willing passing is the activity off the ball.  When expects to be included in the offense they obviously have a greater mental focus.  If the basketball is likely to come to your way, then you are justifiably more alert.  Kley's shooting success is a perfect example of a player with only modest touches engaging mentally from possession to possession.  

Final Word

Cleveland is wonderful team.  There is one completely dominant player in JaCobi Wood (PrepHoopsTN #8), but there are always four exceedingly capable scorers on the floor.  Instead of taking difficult shots, the team continues searching until they unearth a good shot.  This style of play coupled with the high skill oozing from their locker room consistently results in victory.

With the win Cleveland High opened up a 2-game lead in their district over Bradley Central and improved to 22-0 overall.

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