Blackman Burns Up Shooting Stars

<h3><em>Reported by <a href="http://willcarter13/">Will Carter</a>. Photo by <a href="http://willcarter13/">Will Carter</a>.</em></h3> <p>Blackman High hit nine fourth-quarter free throws to seal a 53-47 road win at Siegel High.</p> <p>In a cross-county matchup Tuesday night, Siegel (9-10) hosted the Blackman Blaze (10-6) for an intense, wire-to-wire battle.</p> <p>The Stars opened up the game on a 8-2 run that led to a 24-10 lead after the first frame, but the Blaze turned up the heat in the next two quarters. Holding the Stars to only five points in the second and third, Blackman held onto a 33-39 lead with the final eight to play and closed the gym down with their reliable free throw shooting. Blackman improved to 10-6 with the win and now leads the district outright.</p> <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 61.7165%; height: 132px;"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 22px;"> <td style="width: 59.0001%; height: 22px;"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">District Standings</span></strong></td> <td style="width: 17.9316%; height: 22px;"> </td> <td style="width: 64.8738%; height: 22px;"> </td> </tr> <tr style="height: 22px;"> <td style="width: 59.0001%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">Blackman</td> <td style="width: 17.9316%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">3-0</td> <td style="width: 64.8738%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">10-6</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 22px;"> <td style="width: 59.0001%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">Oakland</td> <td style="width: 17.9316%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">2-1</td> <td style="width: 64.8738%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">11-8</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 22px;"> <td style="width: 59.0001%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">Rockvale</td> <td style="width: 17.9316%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">1-1</td> <td style="width: 64.8738%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">7-13</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 22px;"> <td style="width: 59.0001%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">Riverdale</td> <td style="width: 17.9316%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">0-2</td> <td style="width: 64.8738%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">3-17</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 22px;"> <td style="width: 59.0001%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">Siegel</td> <td style="width: 17.9316%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">0-2</td> <td style="width: 64.8738%; height: 22px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffae00;">9-10</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Five players stuck out in the statsheet and on the court.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1006437" first="Trevon" last="Bass"], Siegel ‘22 Guard </strong></li> </ul> <p>Three words to describe Bass: Crafty. Quick. Suffocating.</p> <p>11 of Siegel’s 24 first quarter points belonged to Bass. He single handedly outscored the Blaze for eight minutes, but they weren’t chip shots. Bass used his quickness and smooth handle to create shots for himself in isolation sets. Numerous times throughout the game, Bass took his defender 1-on-1 to produce a difficult bucket while making it look easy. He finished with 23 points on 60 percent from the field and 30 percent from three-point range. He added one assist and five rebounds to the books as well.</p> <p>https://twitter.com/WillCarter13/status/1483910505928531970?s=20</p> <p>Bass is an athletic, undersized guard that can take any defender off the dribble for a bucket. He crashes the defensive boards well for a guard his size due in large part to his athleticism which also helps him defensively. He is suffocating because anytime he brings the ball down the floor, the defense understands his will to score. Most of Bass’ production is from beyond the arc, but he has good finishing ability at the rim as well – something he wants to do more of.</p> <p>“I rely on my shooting a lot because I know I can hit my shots, but I need to get to the basket more,” Bass said. “I need to work on my midrange more and getting to the basket. I need to get that one-dribble pullup in there to make me more dangerous.”</p> <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1369032" first="Isaiah*" last="Haynes"] Siegel ‘22 Guard</strong></li> </ul> <p>Haynes was a key contributor to the Stars’ first quarter lead by knocking down three shots from deep. He added another in the fourth to finish with 12 points and four rebounds. Haynes is a big, lengthy guard with a high-arcing shot. His size and form allows him to hit shots from virtually anywhere in three-point range. Defensively, Haynes can guard any position at the high school level. Another advantage he has is being able to post-up many of his defenders. Tuesday night, he was 4-of-5 from three-point range for an 80 percent clip.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Carter Webb, Siegel ‘25 Guard</strong></li> </ul> <p>Webb is a freshman for the Stars that sees a lot of merited playing time. While he doesn’t fill up the statsheet, Webb is an important piece for the Stars. He is a long guard with a high basketball IQ for his age. He finished with ten points on a perfect 2-for-2 from three-point range and 2-of-4 from the field while adding two rebounds. Webb flows well in the offense and chooses the right attack time and point in the defense. Defensively, his length cuts off passing lanes to grab steals.</p> <ul> <li><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1369031" first="Braxton" last="Caruthers"], Blackman ‘22 Guard</strong></li> </ul> <p>Caruthers is similar to Bass in the sense of being an undersized guard, but his energy makes up for it. While he only finished with ten points, it was his court vision that stood out. On multiple occasions, he was able to fit a pass into a tight window for his teammates to finish. Caurthers has a quick first step he uses to blow by defenders to either finish at the rim or get an assist. He doesn’t take many shots from outside the paint, but he has a fluid form that helps from beyond the arc.</p> <p>“I feel like my energy and my passion helped my team get the win,” Caruthers said. “We started out flat, but at the end we pulled it out. That’s the end goal.”</p> <p>In only his second year with the Blaze, he added that his role has changed.</p> <p>“Last year my role was more passive, but this year is more of a scoring role. It’s changed a lot for me, but I’m getting the hang of it.”</p> <ul> <li><strong>Ethan Carson, Blackman ‘25 Post</strong></li> </ul> <p>Based on Carson’s stature, a spectator would think he was a guard, but he fits the role of being the Blaze’s low man on the block. He finished with 14 points with the majority of his baskets coming from under the basket. Being a freshman, he has plenty of time to grow in size. His post-play, however, doesn’t need as much time. Carson meticulously carves out space down low to give himself layup opportunities amongst taller defenders. He can finish in traffic and battles for rebounds.</p>