Chaminade-Madonna Lions Punch Ticket To Lakeland

Over in Hollywood, the Chaminade-Madonna Lions punched their ticket to Lakeland with a 67-59 victory over the Riviera Prep Bulldogs. The Class 3A-4 contest was a match-up of the two top seeds in the region and it lived up to the billing. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lions led by four points after being up by the same margin at halftime. Despite the home court advantage, the visiting Bulldogs brought a strong contingent of fans up from Kendall to almost make it seem like a neutral site game.

Turning Point: With 6:42 left in the third quarter, senior center Andre Weir picked up his fourth foul after being caught in the air on a drive by freshman Oscar Garcia. The Richmond commit was sent to the bench after the play and seemed to realize that it was a crucial call to take. With Weir not returning till 4:37 seconds left in the fourth quarter, I thought Riviera Prep had a big opportunity to seize momentum with the teams middle anchor out of the game. While the Bulldogs stayed steady, I thought they didn't take full advantage. On the flip side, Chaminade-Madonna saw multiple players step up during a pivotal segment of the game. (more on that below)

Standouts:

1. Thaddius Franklin - Chaminade-Madonna: As I said above, I thought the absence of Weir for the better half of the final two quarters was a key point in the game. With the 6-foot-10 center out, 2021 guard Thaddius Franklin stepped up in a big way with a game-high 22 points. The Miami football commit was aggressive attacking the basket and used his physicality to his advantage to finish at the rim. With 4:07 left in the fourth quarter, Franklin stepped out and hit a big 3-pointer from the top of the key to give the Lions a nine-point advantage. The junior also pulled down six rebounds and is a strong perimeter defender in part to his wide frame. Overall, I thought he was the MVP of the night. 
2. Johnny O'Neil - Chaminade-Madonna: The luxury of losing a D-1 signee to foul trouble is you have another to pick up the slack. A six-foot-eight wing, O'Neil did just that with 17 points, ten of which came during the final eight minutes of the game. O'Neil is your quintessential inside-out player and flashed it once again against Riviera Prep. The American bound commit hit a pair of 3-pointers while slamming home a dunk with less than a minute left in the game. O'Neil also pulled down nine rebounds which limited Riviera Prep to single shot opportunities when the game was tight in the second half. Moving forward to Lakeland, O'Neil is going to be a match-up problem for opposing coaches due to his versatility.
3. Andre Weir - Chaminade-Madonna: Despite the foul trouble, the future Spider was still a huge factor with 14 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. Specifically, I thought the senior was extremely active off put back attempts while extending out for rebounds to limit Bulldog opportunities. Simply put, Weir's combination of height and size can wear on a defense over time like a twelve round heavyweight fight.
4. Osmar Garcia-Araujo - Riviera Prep: Despite the loss, the future is very bright with Riviera Prep and 2023 forward Garcia-Aruajo. The 6-foot-7 Bulldog finished with a team-high 21 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Furthermore, Garcia-Araujo had a tough assignment facing Andre Weir and I thought he handled himself very well. The freshman has tremendous footwork and got Weir in foul trouble with impressive ball fakes that caused the center to commit in the air. In addition, Garcia-Araujo has great vision and filtered some sharp passes to his Bulldog teammates from around the key.  If you are looking for a kid to keep an eye on moving forward, Osmar Garcia-Araujo is your guy in South Florida.
5. Esteban Lluberes - Riviera Prep: In keeping with the story line, Riviera Prep has another good one in 2022 point guard Esteban Lluberes. The 5-foot-8 sophomore is a strong defender with good hands on the defensive side of the ball. On the offensive end, Lluberes finished with 14 points, including a pair of early 3-pointers against the Lions. While the loss might sting, the Bulldogs have a lethal 1-2 punch in the future with Lluberes and Garcia-Araujo. 

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