St. John Vianney vs. Neptune: 5 Takeaways
It was a back-and-forth contest on Thursday when St. John Vianney hit the road to take on Neptune. Both teams were looking to get a leg up in the Shore Conference. From the opening tip, this game was a battle.…
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Continue ReadingIt was a back-and-forth contest on Thursday when St. John Vianney hit the road to take on Neptune. Both teams were looking to get a leg up in the Shore Conference. From the opening tip, this game was a battle. The lead for each side never grew larger than five points. At the end of the game, that was the final spread. St. John Vianney edged Neptune 49-44 to improve to 8-3. Here are five takeaways from the Shore matchup.
St. John Vianney features strong backcourt
The Lancers are off to a hot start this season and it is largely because of their guard play. The three-point ball was not working early on in this one but St. John Vianney was able to hit timely shots to gain an edge. Brian Stuart and Nate Williams led the way with 14 points each in this win. Down the stretch, Stuart was able to handle the ball to beat the press and knock down some free throws to ice it.
Neptune’s junior point guard is an intriguing prospect
From the time warmups began pregame, there was one player that stuck out. Sam Fagan was seen pulling up from 10 feet behind the three-point line and knocking down shots at a high rate. This display peaked interest for when the game began and he did not disappoint. Fagan knocked down two three’s in the game and displayed an impressive pull-up game. The most impressive part of his game was the ability to remain under control within the offense.
Alex Leiba was force on both sides
Finishing a game with double-digit rebounds is always impressive. In this one, Leiba finished with nine points and 12 rebounds for the Lancers. He knocked down one shot from beyond the arc and had three blocks on the defensive end. Leiba was able to gain position when a shot was in the air at will. He did most of his work from inside the paint on the offensive end and they were mostly uncontested layups. Leiba was able to get an advantage over defenders and find the easy way to score.
Both sides operated well on defense in the half court
You will often see pressure from high school teams. Whether it is one side or both, there is usually some sort of full court pressure being put on. This is supposed to make the other team panic and turn it over but neither side in this game felt the need. They believed in their half court defense and for good reason. This was a low scoring game because of the defensive efforts of both teams.
St. John Vianney has outstanding coach leading the way
From the beginning of the game, Ryan Finch was involved in every move on the court. He was all over the officiating, which was questionable from the start. Finch had his player’s backs and would even show emotion when they made a big shot. To say he is a player’s coach is an understatement. But that is not all. Finch would direct his team from the sidelines telling them to run plays and switch up defenses. Late in a close game, Finch brought it home with some great calls. This was a masterpiece in many ways from the Lancers.