Player Evals: Grinnell upsets CCA, advances to Substate Semifinal

<p>TIFFIN -- Can you call it an upset if it’s already happened once? For the second time this year, Grinnell beat Clear Creek Amana and this one was even more important, as the Tigers advance to Thursday’s substate semifinal against Washington with their 69-58 win over the higher-seeded Clippers. </p> <p>A deliberate offensive attack and some timely 3-point shooting helped keep the Clippers at bay throughout the night, as Grinnell shot 22-40 from the floor and 9-12 from behind the arc in the win. </p> <p>Grinnell held a 32-24 lead at the break, closing the second quarter with an 8-0 run to take a lead that they never gave back up. After CCA scored the first five points of the third quarter, Grinnell responded with three straight 3-pointers to push the lead back up to double-digits. A Ryan Navara 3 with 2:55 to play in the fourth quarter pulled the Clippers back within 2 points, 55-53, but Grinnell answered with the next five points to take control back. They made their free throws down the stretch and the result was never really in doubt. </p> <p>Grinnell improves to 9-13 with the win. The Tigers were led by [player_tooltip player_id="796166" first="Cole" last="McGriff"], who had a game-high 23 points. [player_tooltip player_id="796150" first="AJ" last="Wilkins"] added 18.</p> <p>Clear Creek Amana’s season ends with a 17-6 record. The Clippers were led by [player_tooltip player_id="796141" first="Christian" last="Withrow"], who had 17 points in his final game as a Clipper. Ryan Navara added 14 points and Kyle Schrepfer had 11. </p> <p>Below we take a look at some of the standout performers from Grinnell’s win.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 89.5273%; height: 64px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Team</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>1Q</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>2Q</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>3Q</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>4Q</strong></span></td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>F</strong></span></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">Grinnell</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">15</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">17</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">13</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">24</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">69</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">Clear Creek-Amana</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">12</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">12</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">11</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">23</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">58</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Grinnell:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="796166" first="Cole" last="McGriff"] 23, [player_tooltip player_id="796150" first="AJ" last="Wilkins"] 18, [player_tooltip player_id="964924" first="Owen" last="Coffman"] 8, Brooks Latimer 8, Trey Gohlmann 7, Matayas Durr 3, Kyle Dillon 1, Colin Gibson 1<br /> <strong>Clear Creek-Amana:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="796141" first="Christian" last="Withrow"] 17, Ryan Navara 14, Kyle Schrepfer 11, Brock Reade 9, [player_tooltip player_id="964923" first="Mike" last="Potter"] 7</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796141" first="Christian" last="Withrow"], Clear Creek Amana (2021)</strong></p> <p>Withrow ended up with a team-high 17 points, but he really had to work hard for those points. He scored just 2 in the first half before taking over in the third quarter, showing his scoring ability. He’s excellent at playing downhill and getting to the bucket, using his body to shield the ball and he can finish through contact effectively. He’s got good touch around the rim and a nice mid-range game that he can go to as well. He doesn’t look to shoot it from 3 very often, but he’s a capable 3-point shooter as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964923" first="Mike" last="Potter"], Clear Creek Amana (2021)</strong></p> <p>The 6-1 lead guard plays bigger than he’s listed due to his excellent length. He’s a solid ball-handler and talented playmaker who sees the floor well and can really pass it. He’s a good team defender who can defend multiple positions and he’s a crafty scorer around the bucket. </p> <p><strong>Ryan Navara, Clear Creek Amana (2021)</strong></p> <p>Navara is an undersized big man at 6-2, but he’s a physical player who plays bigger than that. He finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and he showed the ability to stretch the floor, going 2-5 from behind the arc. He works hard on the glass, and he had a big sequence in the second quarter in which he got CCA three chances by grabbing a pair of offensive rebounds that eventually led to a Reade 3. </p> <p><strong>Kyle Schrepfer, Clear Creek Amana (2022)</strong></p> <p>An active player on the offensive end, Schrepfer moves really well off the ball to find spaces in the defense to get off his shot. He’s a confident 3-point shooter with a quick release and extended range. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796150" first="AJ" last="Wilkins"], Grinnell (2021)</strong></p> <p>Wilkins and running mate McGriff were the key pieces for the Tigers in the win, taking complete control of the game on the offensive end, leading a patient and efficient attack. The 6-1 guard finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 5-9 shooting (3-4 3P), showcasing impressive range, knocking down a pair of 3s from near the volleyball line. He plays with good pace, changing speeds and showed an impressive basketball IQ. He handles the ball well, is a confident shooter and showed great court vision, finding open teammates time and again for easy buckets. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796166" first="Cole" last="McGriff"], Grinnell (2021)</strong></p> <p>McGriff was excellent in this one, scoring 23 points on 8-12 shooting (4-5 3P). He started the game off by getting to the rim a few times, showing good footwork, touch and the ability to use his body to shield the ball from defenders. That opened up the rest of his game, as he showed good form and touch on his jumper as the game progressed. A confident ball-handler who didn’t flinch in the face of pressure, he did a great job controlling the game when CCA tried to amp up the pressure. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964924" first="Owen" last="Coffman"], Grinnell (2021)</strong></p> <p>The 6-8 senior big man is still a bit of a work in progress on the offensive end, but you can’t teach his size or mobility. He runs the floor really well and works hard to establish position in the paint. He’s got good hands, great size and length, and he showed ability as a rim-protector, blocking 4 shots in the win. He’s an intriguing DIII prospect who finished with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 4 blocks.</p> <p><strong>Kyle Dillon, Grinnell (2021)</strong></p> <p>Dillon doesn’t do much in the box score, but he made a major impact on this game with the tough defense that he played against Withrow. He really made the Clippers’ leading scorer work hard on that end of the floor and he did a great job contesting everything. </p>