Five Takeaways: John Carroll vs Spalding
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Last night on the campus of John Carroll, one of the more highly anticipated games of the 2021 shortened season took place as the Patriots played host to Archbishop Spalding. Both teams are likely to finish somewhere in the top…
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Continue ReadingLast night on the campus of John Carroll, one of the more highly anticipated games of the 2021 shortened season took place as the Patriots played host to Archbishop Spalding. Both teams are likely to finish somewhere in the top four of the standings when it’s all said and done, but Spalding got a leg up on John Carroll by upending them 78-68 in a game that was fun to watch.
Here are five takeaways from the contest:
Whitmore pads his early season POY argument
2022 Spalding wing Cameron Whitmore Cameron Whitmore 6'7" | PF Archbishop Spalding | 2022 State #30 Nation MD has been on a tear to start his junior campaign as most predicted. The 6-foot-7 junior led his team with 23 points last night and now is averaging 25.6 points per game this season. Spalding opened up their schedule with a gauntlet including St. Frances, Mt. St. Joe and John Carroll. They now sit with a 2-1 record and should be favored in the remainder of their games. Behind Whitmore’s dominance, it wouldn’t be shocking if they finish the regular season with their one loss coming to St. Frances in the opener.
Milestones for two Patriots
Prior to last night’s game, 2022 forward Cesar Tchilombo Cesar Tchilombo 6'8" | C John Carroll | 2022 MD was honored as he grabbed his 500th career rebound last Wednesday against Mt. St. Joe. The 6-foot-8 junior came out in last night’s game as a strong paint presence as he finished above the rim, deflected shots defensively and viciously pursued rebounds to limit Spalding to one-shot possessions. Tchilombo scored a team-high 13 points in the loss. 2022 guard Tyson Commander Tyson Commander 6'4" | SG The John Carroll School | 2022 State #203 Nation MD came into last night’s game needing seven points to reach 1000 for his high school career. The 6-foot-4 lefty finished with 11 and now sits with 1004 career points. Spalding face-guarded Commander for the entire 32 minutes to make life extremely difficult, but Commander found a way to hit his milestone despite his team coming up short.
Peterson comes up big
2022 Spalding guard Tyheil Peterson Tyheil Peterson 5'10" | PG Archbishop Spalding | 2022 State MD made some early mistakes as Spalding found themselves down almost double-digits in the first half. But as the Cavaliers were down five with a minute to go in the half, Peterson went on a personal 7-0 run to give his team the lead heading into halftime. It was the boost that both he and his team needed to come out in the second half and battle for a tough win. The 5-foot-11 guard recorded 20 points and was a threat from all three levels, making it tough on his defender throughout the contest.
Pennick with an admirable performance
2022 Spalding guard Jordan Pennick Jordan Pennick 6'1" | CG Archbishop Spalding | 2022 State MD is another name that has gotten off to a productive start. The 6-foot guard plays with extreme toughness and has proven to be a consistent shot-maker from three off the catch as well as from the mid-range when operating off the bounce. Pennick finished with 14 points and helped Spalding stay within reaching distance in the first half, but it was his defensive performance that caught my eye. He didn’t blow up the box score with steals or rebounds, but his job was to stick to Commander like glue. John Carroll has a number of designed plays to free up Commander with a plethora of screens. Pennick fought through each one to ensure that he would be in Commander’s chest on the catch. Even on Commander’s makes, they were tightly contest from Pennick. To stay locked in throughout the course of a game on a scorer like Commander is uncommon, but Pennick was out to prove his worth and he did so tremendously.
Looking forward
John Carroll drops to 1-2 with the loss and will travel to Loyola to take on a Dons team that pushed St. Frances to the end of the game before coming up short. That game is set for Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Loyola. Spalding improves to 2-1 with the win before heading back home to play host to St. Maria Goretti, who they should overwhelm in the talent category.