Tate’s Game Notes From Week 4

<p>This past week, I got out to Forest Hills Northern high school on Friday night to catch the Huskies take on rival Forest Hills Central in an OK White battle. The following day, I headed over to Cornerstone for their annual showcase to see the Huskies again, this time against an up-and-coming group in the Grandville Bulldogs. Below are my takeaways from the games.</p> <h5>Forest Hills Northern 62, Forest Hills Central 42</h5> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="814560" first="Trinidad" last="Chambliss"] took matters into his own hands in a Friday-night inner conference rivalry, scoring 22 points to lead the Huskies to a big win. He had a big matchup with Forest Hills Central guard Jacob Bonnett and stepped up in a big way. Trinidad was efficient in the half-court and didn’t force shots up to get his. He took what the defense gave him and gave the Huskies quality possessions and minutes for a full four-quarters.</p> <p>Forest Hills Central’s Jacob Bonnett did a good job of getting downhill and getting shots in the lane, finishing with 12 points to lead Forest Hills Central in scoring. Chambliss’s defense will provide opposing guards with a handful of problems, but I thought Jacob was solid in finding a way to get some good looks despite that.</p> <h5>Forest Hills Northern 63, Grandville 54</h5> <p>On Saturday, March 6th, Cornerstone University hosted its annual Holiday Showcase. While the showcase typically features a dozen teams from around the area and is played around Christmas time, the current COVID situation forced Cornerstone to adjust on the fly. Thankfully, we got to see a great matchup between one of the best teams in the area in Forest Hills Northern, and a Grandville team that has surprised some people with their start this season.</p> <p>I thought [player_tooltip player_id="980052" first="Gavin" last="Fisher"] was a big factor in Forest Hills Northern getting out to an early lead. He forced several turnovers on defense and did a great job getting down the court in a hurry in transition opportunities. In the second half, Gavin got several quality looks in the paint and converted a couple of solid post moves. Gavin finished with 14 points.</p> <p>The backcourt combo of [player_tooltip player_id="814560" first="Trinidad" last="Chambliss"] and [player_tooltip player_id="811128" first="Ethan" last="Erickson"] continues to overwhelm opposing defenses. Both guards were able to breakdown Grandville’s guards, get into the lane and either finish high-percentage looks or find an open teammate on a cut to the basket. Trinidad’s first-step has proven to be hard to stay in front of all year, and that theme continued on Saturday as he forced his way into the paint with relative ease. Ethan’s jump shot was off against Grandville, but being the prolific scorer that he is, he still found a way to get 20 points on the night. The duo combined to score 39 points.</p> <p>Grandville’s senior leader, [player_tooltip player_id="814575" first="Tommy" last="Gregwer"] did everything he could to keep Grandville in the game on Saturday, finishing with a game-high 28 points. Tommy’s perimeter shot looked great, as he knocked down a barrage of big shots to keep the Bulldogs within striking distance. Tommy was most effective in ball-screen sets, especially when Chambliss was forced to switch off Gregwer.</p> <p>Grandville forward [player_tooltip player_id="814670" first="Corey" last="Grant"] played well on Saturday, adding 12 points, most of his buckets being hard-earned in and around the paint. I thought Corey used his physicality to rebound and put himself in a position to make plays on both ends for Grandville. </p>