Early outlook: What’s to make of Bartlett?
In the first two day of Stephen Jackson’s Battle in the Bluff High School Showcase, Bartlett has faced Christian Brothers High School and Knoxville Catholic High School, two quality opponents in Division II-AA that could possibly meet one another in…
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Continue ReadingIn the first two day of Stephen Jackson’s Battle in the Bluff High School Showcase, Bartlett has faced Christian Brothers High School and Knoxville Catholic High School, two quality opponents in Division II-AA that could possibly meet one another in the state tournament.
The Panthers lost to the Purple Wave Thursday night in overtime after leading by four late in the fourth quarter. Bartlett redeemed itself Friday evening by defeating the Fighting Irish, 75-69.
The Panthers currently sit at 7-4, so with 11 games into the season, what’s to make of Bartlett?
Well, here are three things about the Panthers to point out.
Terrance Jacobs Jr. is the team’s most important player
Bartlett trailed Knoxville Catholic 18-0 to start the game Friday night. The Panthers got within 35-29 at halftime. In the second half, when Bartlett needed an offensive spark, senior point guard Terrance Jacobs Jr. led the charge by scoring 19 of his game-high 26 points. Not only did he provide scoring, but Jacobs initiated the offense, got his teammates great looks at the basket.
Without Jacobs’ surge as the team’s floor general, the Panthers would have been staring at a second-consecutive loss.
“Every team has an identity, and it typically follows the leaders,” Bartlett head coach Dion Real said. “Once he gets going, everyone tends to follow suit in games, practice, whatever the case maybe. Then, once he gets going, he’s really good also, so it’s really easy to follow him once he gets going.”
Jacobs also had four rebounds, two steals and one assist against the Fighting Irish.
Friday’s performance showed the importance of Jacobs’ play. It showed the importance of why he needs the basketball in his hands. Without Jacobs, the Panthers offense wouldn’t move as smooth as it did against Knoxville Catholic.
Bartlett has guards that can make shots from deep
Junior guard Regale Moore made two 3s in the second half and sophomore wing Christian Alston made one as well. The Panthers capitalized on their wide open shot opportunities, as they were swinging the basketball to every angle of the floor, keeping Knoxville Catholic’s defense on its heels. Ball movement is very important for this Bartlett team, since it has multiple guys that can make shots. The Panthers aren’t built to be an isolation team. They’re built to have offensive balance.
Senior combo guard Amarr Knox finished with 14 points. Moore finished with nine points. Junior forward Matthew Stokes did give Bartlett’s frontcourt production with five points and six rebounds.
“We just have to figure out how to get it done,” Real said. “And typically, that’s where it starts with, good guard play. So hopefully, they can build on that and keep getting better and better.”
Tough non-league schedule has its perks
Playing quality opponents like Christian Brothers and Knoxville Catholic will only get this team prepared for its ultimate goal: making a trip up east to the TSSAA Division 1 Boys’ Class 4A State Tournament.
Bartlett has the pieces to compete with a lot of teams in the state of Tennessee, and being battle tested in non-league play will give the Panthers as assessment of themselves early on in the season before the elimination latter part of the season comes.
“They are very, very resilient,” Real said about his team. “We are still young, but they’re beginning to figure it out. It’s a process. Today, we spent an hour in film session, trying to break this thing down, trying to get better, more so on chemistry. We are trying to blend in.”