3 observations from Overton’s win over Cordova
Overton squeezed one out Tuesday night, defeating Cordova 55-53 in a game that contained missed scoring opportunities by the home team and unfortunate foul trouble by the road team. With the win, the Wolverines have improved to 5-1 this season.…
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Continue ReadingOverton squeezed one out Tuesday night, defeating Cordova 55-53 in a game that contained missed scoring opportunities by the home team and unfortunate foul trouble by the road team.
With the win, the Wolverines have improved to 5-1 this season. The Wolfpack currently sit at 1-3.
Here are three observations from Overton’s win over Cordova.
Jaden Taylor knew the assignment
The senior guard didn’t settle for any jump shots. Each time Taylor had the basketball in his hands, he was looking to attack the basket. Luckily, the calls were going his way, and he was making trips to the free throw line. Taylor went 8 for 12 from the charity stripe and finished the night with 12 points. It was important for the Wolverines to have one of their guards attack, attack, attack since a lot of their outside shots weren’t falling. Taylor’s free throws were crucial in this matchup, as junior point guard Jordan Frison Jordan Frison 6'0" | PG Overton | 2023 State TN didn’t attempt many outside jump shots. Frison’s biggest shot came late in the fourth quarter when he made a deep 3 from the left wing to put his team up 46-42. Frison finished with 10 points.
Missed scoring opportunities by Cordova
I don’t have enough fingers to count how many close layups the Wolfpack missed throughout the game. I also don’t have enough fingers to count how many assists sophomore point guard Emerson Tenner, who led Cordova with 25 points, could have had if his teammates could have made open shots. Maybe the undersized Wolfpack were scared of Overton’s length (Isaiah Regular is 6-foot-7, and Jailen Hardaway is 6-6), which is understandable since Regular is known for his shot blocking ability, which was on display Tuesday night before he fouled out with 1:22 left in the game. Outside of Tenner, senior guard Reggie Labattes was the other double-digit scorer for Cordova with 11 points. In the end, the Wolfpack could have won this one, but missed scoring opportunities underneath the rim cost them.
Positives on both teams
Overton: It was an ugly win for the Wolverines, but head coach Shelvie Rose can look at this victory as a positive, because his team won an ugly one, and there could be more dog fights in this team’s future. Overton has a state tournament caliber roster that features size, athleticism and shooting. One ugly win shouldn’t discourage viewers to overlook this team this early in the season. As this group continues to play together, the chemistry will only get stronger.
Cordova: The Wolfpack play hard. This team listens to their head coach Terrance Scales. That’s a plus for a team that contains five sophomores that missed an entire season a year ago due to Covid-19. I’m going to predict that Cordova will finish second or third in District 15AAAA. I’m going to predict that Tenner will be in the running for player of the year in the district, along with Houston’s big man Brock Vice. This could be considered as a good loss, because the Wolfpack hung in there with a team filled with experienced upperclassmen. This game just showed the job Scales can do with less.