Tuesday Night Transition: Hiram at Cass Takeaways
Joseph Johson Coming off a busy week in which they got 2 solid road wins and an impressive neutral-site MLK Day victory over a very good New Manchester team, one might have thought a long Tuesday night road trip up…
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Continue ReadingComing off a busy week in which they got 2 solid road wins and an impressive neutral-site MLK Day victory over a very good New Manchester team, one might have thought a long Tuesday night road trip up I-75 to White, GA to visit Cass might have caught Hiram napping a bit. Down 14-10 after one, 31-23 at the half, and 43-41 after three, those fears were close to being realized, but the Hornets regrouped in impressive fashion in a dominating 4th quarter and raced to a 61-54 victory.
My Trifecta of “meal-time” takeaways:
THE STEAK: HIRAM’S LINEUP VERSATILITY IS THE RED MEAT
Arshad CrepsacThe Hornets can come at you in waves with a fleet of athletic and crafty guards/small forwards who can all handle it to the hole, shoot and find the open man. Seniors Arshad Crepsac, Deandre Brown, and Tyler Merriweather and impressive junior Joseph Johnson all hover right around the 6-2 region, and each is physical enough to drive it in traffic or proficient enough with the jumper to step back for an open look. Crepshac in particular did a terrific job in the first half with 10 of his 11 on the night, keeping Hiram within shouting distance while his compadres struggled some early. He’s also a superior on-ball defender and leads an overall bunch that is as exceptional a team defensive group as I’ve seen this season, a trait which was huge for them in that turnaround final stanza. Johnson, after impressing in the first half with his hustle, unselfishness and rebounding from the wing spot, took the lead scoring role in the 2nd half, getting 14 of his 18 and doing most of it at key junctures. His two 3-point daggers in the 4th quarter, where the Hornets outscored Cass 20-11, came during a spurt where they turned that 2-point deficit to open the quarter into a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
THE DESSERT: FEED THE BIG MAN
Jackson PriceAt the center of the Hiram attack resides 6-7 junior Jackson Price, an intriguing big man prospect in that he sort of quietly goes along playing the role of rebounder, shot-blocker and put-back man, but then suddenly explode with effectiveness and can bury with a string of baskets and trips to the line. He finished the night with 15 points, but alongside his mates had a big hand in the 2nd half turnaround as the visitors woke up a bit. His rim protection is what really keys the Hornets, as any driver must contend with where he is coming off his man on the help side. His overall post-game will benefit from another year at the scholastic level, and he and Johnson make for a terrific duo not only to help Hiram make a strong play in 5A this year, but looking ahead to 2020-21 as well.
THE CHECK: GUARD TRIO COULDN’T QUITE GET THEM HOME
Jordan Ford Braxton Benham
Cass features an outstanding guard group of their own, with Jordan Ford, Jaquan Heard and Braxton Benham doing most of the heavy lifting. A late 1st-quarter leg injury to Heard, suffered on a hustle play by the 5-9 senior, seemed to take a little steam out of Cass’ engine, and even though they maintained the lead all the way through 3 quarters, his return to the game at less than 100% clearly had an impact. Some unfortunate cold shooting as a team also did them in late, yet, all three guards displayed nice skill sets. Ford, a physical 5-11 senior, is the combo guard getting buckets inside and out and off the break (22 points with two 3’s), the junior Benham is the group’s spot-up gunner (13 points with three 3’s with his set-shot stroke), and Heard, when he was fit, driving the engine with his energy and fearless play. The Colonels get inside production and excellent effort from the likes of good-looking sophomore prospect Zaylan Chaney, an athletic 6-4 mover with a high upside (and wearing Kobe Bryant’s #24 on this night to honor the NBA great), as well as senior Alfred Washington and junior Zay Jackson (undersized at 6-0 but a fighter on the interior), all of whom gave Hiram’s Price all he could handle at times.