4 Takeaways: Westover at Fayette County

<p>It was the south side of Atlanta taking on south Georgia in the 4A semifinal match between Westover and Fayette County, with the home squad from Fayetteville picking up the 59-50 win, here are some takeaways as I watched on NFHS.</p> <p><em><strong>MOTOR CITY FAYETTEVILLE</strong></em></p> <p>Loved the energy on their home floor from Fayette County, as the game appeared an even match both in the athleticism and talent categories, so as is the case so often it can be the little things to spur a team to victory. No one exemplifies that energy more than the 6-7 [player_tooltip player_id="948801" first="Kaleb" last="Banks"], who vaulted to #3 in our 2022 rankings off a terrific summer season and has not shown any let-up in acting as a catalyst to his team’s trip to Macon. He was locked often in an intense and titanic head-to-head battle with Westover’s own 2021 stud, 6-9 [player_tooltip player_id="869584" first="Isaac" last="Abidde"], and it didn’t disappoint. Both Banks and Abidde are textbook modern small forwards - uber athletes who can guard multiple, spots, great touch from the outside but can dip down and be factors at both ends near the basket, and tenacious rebounders as everyone on the floor needs to get in on the glass cleaning in today’s game regardless of position on the floor. </p> <p><strong><em>NOT A ONE-TRICK PONY</em></strong></p> <p>The Tigers are not just the [player_tooltip player_id="948801" first="Kaleb" last="Banks"] show, no one gets to Macon in any GHSA region without balanced contributions and versatile pieces. 2023 SG [player_tooltip player_id="1049244" first="RJ" last="Kennedy"] may currently reside just outside our top 75, but he showed the kind of confidence and deadeye precision from 3 that make him a potential riser to watch. He finished with 13 big points on the day. FCHS has good size, and when a guard like 6-4 senior Cardell Bailey (15 pts, 6 reb, 5 blks) van post a stat line like that you know the Tigers are filling up the versatile part of the equation mentioned earlier. Giving Banks much-needed help in the post battles with Abidde was senior [player_tooltip player_id="1130508" first="Terry" last="Brown"], at 6-5 and a springy athlete, he handled the balance part of things in tallying 8 pts, 7 reb and 5 ast, and the two seniors appear to be just the right medicine to bolster the two young stars.</p> <p>NO FLUKE</p> <p>There’s plenty of notable talent on the Westover side, and it’s no accident they got this far even after a modest 3rd-place finish in their region, but their road included impressive wins over top 4A clubs Westside-Macon, Spencer and Cedar Shoals. The 3 key guards in particular stand out, as all can play the 1 or the 2 with equal effectiveness. Spead out over three classes, senior Shamar Wingfield (pictured above) is a familiar character from the grassroots scene having had a really strong summer with GA Canes, and you can see in the contest the kind of speed and explosiveness that became his trademark. Junior Effrin Smith was super aggressive looking for his offense particularly early in the game, and I loved how he positioned himself for 3s and then attacked the closing defense with the drive. Sophomore Kavon Johnson joins Fayette’s Kennedy as a sophomore emerging from the game as a name to watch, he’s more a true PG, has a nice frame, and makes a living getting into the teeth of the D.</p> <p><em><strong>UP NEXT</strong></em></p> <p>In Macon, perennial playoff contenders the Tigers will get unheralded yet undefeated Baldwin (16-0) out of Milledgeville for the 4A crown, and expect another clash of athletes as the Braves boast 7 players 6-3 or taller.     </p>