Hardaway defeats Central 40-32: 6 Players That Made a Difference

<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 57px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 19px;"> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 19px;"> </td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 19px; text-align: center;"><strong>First Half</strong></td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 19px; text-align: center;"><strong>Second Half</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 19px;"> <td style="width: 33.3333%; text-align: center; height: 19px;"><strong>Hardaway</strong></td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 19px; text-align: center;"><strong>22</strong></td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 19px; text-align: center;"><strong>40</strong></td> </tr> <tr style="height: 19px;"> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 19px; text-align: center;"><strong>Central</strong></td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 19px; text-align: center;"><strong>15</strong></td> <td style="width: 33.3333%; height: 19px; text-align: center;"><strong>32</strong></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Treyvon Williams, Hardaway: </strong>Treyvon was huge on defense all night for Hardaway. In the first half, he came over on helpside defense and had a big block from behind. He had strong hands on defense that helped him tip the ball out and rip the ball from the offense. He quickly reacted to lose balls and kept possessions alive. One drive, he had an unnecessary turnover with a chest pass in the lane instead of a simple bounce pass away from the defender. The last two possessions of the game, he sealed the deal with back to back steals finishing off the win for Hardaway. Treyvon embodied the phrase "Defense wins championships" and led the way for his team. </p> <p><strong>Chris Hicks, Hardaway:</strong> Chris did nothing crazy special or nothing bad. He gave his team a few big plays but that was all. A coach needs a reliable player to give him a few good plays during the game. Chris hit a big and confident three pointer at the start of the game. Later he attacked the basket hard and finished around the two bigs from Central. </p> <p><strong>Aaron Pitts, Hardaway</strong>: Aaron was played with a lot of spark the entire game. Early in the game, he had an emphatic 2-handed dunk in transition. When attacking the basket, he had an effective hop step and getting that extra bit of space. When going to the basket, his eyes were up and looking for his teammates slashing to the basket. He has an explosive first step and can finish athletically at the rim away from the bigger defenders. He needs not to force at times and know when kick out. </p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jerrell-bellamy/">Jerrell Bellamy</a>, Central:</strong> Jerrell was a monster for Central, but relatively quiet for someone as dominant as he is. He was a big presence inside. He got big blocks on defense, was relentless on the boards, and showed good footwork for a big. On offense, he was able to adjust his shot in mid air and finish strong and high at the rim. When rebounding, sometimes he wanted to be the most athletic and out jump for the rebound. Instead, he needs to get low and box out. He also needs to deny the entry pass to the other team instead of sitting back allowing the offense to get their spot. Jerrell finished with 12 points, but should have had much more. </p> <p><strong>Jaquez Epps, Central:</strong> Jaquez played a strong roll as a point guard. Early in the game, he stayed with a fast break play and got an easy put back layups. Sometimes players view fast breaks as a time to rest quickly, but he followed up the play and was rewarded. He was a good court general on the floor. He constantly communicated with the coach on the sideline and was the coach's voice on the court. He had a beautiful drive and dish to the big man for the "and-1". When running the pick and roll, he needs to effectively go off the screen. Force the defender to go over the screen or under but don't give them space to come through it. </p> <p><strong>Trevonne Woods, Central:</strong> Trevonne was the big man to go alongside Jerrell. Together they were a force in the paint defensively. Several times, Trevonne got easy baskets by drifting away from the play to the baseline behind the defense. This allowed him to lose the defender and get open for his teammate attacking. He had a patient shot fake to draw the defenders in the air. His size inside forced Hardaway to take difficult layups and alter their shots in mid air. A few times, he would pop out to the three point line and try forcing a post entry pass when it wasn't there. </p>