Game Recap: St. Edward 82, Benedictine 63

<p>It didn’t take long for St. Edward to make a statement Friday night on the road against Benedictine. Eric Flannery employed a starting lineup that normally doesn’t get the chance to make up a usual starting five throughout the season. That was the start of an impressive shooting display from a slew of Eagle players.</p> <p>In fact, the team made 13 three-pointers during the 19-point win over the Bengals. It was a back-and-forth opening quarter, but the Eagles were able to gain an upper hand after a 33-13 advantage in the second quarter. I highlight a couple of top performers from Friday night’s game.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921774" first="Detric" last="Hearst"], Benedictine 2022</strong></p> <p>The junior couldn't get much going in his favor throughout the first half, but really turned things around late in the game when the team was looking for an offensive spark. The small forward is a stocky player and used that to his advantage during the open court. He often found himself bullying his defender as he often found himself at the free-throw line with his keen ability to draw contact. He displayed an inconsistent jump shot Friday night but did a good job clawing his team back as much as possible, especially in the transition game. He had a game-high 19 points. </p> <p><strong>Myles Reynolds, St. Edward 2022</strong></p> <p>One thing I noticed Reynolds do well was moving without the ball in his hands. That was able to translate to a handful of looks from three-point range in which he capitalized on. He ended the night with a team-high 14 points and four assists. Showed a high basketball IQ and was able to make plays with or without the ball in his hands. Reynolds has a very high motor and looks to fit in well with an inexperienced, yet stout core for St. Edward. </p> <p><strong>Sam Brown, Benedictine 2023</strong></p> <p>Another Bengal player that stepped up most when his team needed was Brown. He did most of his damage in the half-court game and near the rim. He liked to play up to the physicality of how the game was going. He was often tasked with trying to make a play with the ball in his hands near the top of the key but that's not where he found much success at. </p> <p>He doesn't have a smooth control with the ball but often finds himself active on the glass and fighting for put-back attempts on any second chance opportunity. He contributed with 17 points during the loss. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921749" first="Michael" last="Bova"], St. Edward 2020</strong></p> <p>Arguably the quickest guard I've seen play this season, Bova has an elite handle and can change the momentum of the game in a hurry. He's a crafty point guard that's able to blow past defenders often with how low he stays to the ground while driving to the basket. Bova's court vision is something that stood out to me as well, as he was always looking to make the next big play of the game. He pushes the ball up the court in a hurry and displayed a nice outside shooting performance, finishing the night with 12 points and two 3-pointers. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="919007" first="Shane" last="Macalla"], St. Edward 2021</strong></p> <p>The senior guard did all of his scoring in the second quarter, pouring in 12 points and leading the Eagles to a 33-13 scoring advantage closing out the first half. He had two 3-pointers in the quarter, resulting in two catch-and-shoot scoring opportunities. He didn't do a whole lot as a primary ball-handler during the win but he didn't need to in order to be effective. He's another crafty guard who's got quick feet that made the Benedictine guards struggling to get past him on defense. Macalla thrives in the open court, as he was often leading his team down for easy transition points, something that played a big factor in the strong second quarter. </p>