Archbishop Spalding vs Mount St. Joseph Takeaways

<p>Last night on the campus of Archbishop Spalding, the No. 6 Cavs played host to the No. 9 Mount St. Joseph Gaels in a big time BCL/MIAA matchup. The Cavs were without their McDonald’s All-American [player_tooltip player_id="837927" first="Cameron" last="Whitmore"] and the Gaels took advantage by marching onto win by a final score of 70-55.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Amani-hansberry.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1337889" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Amani-hansberry-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Hansberry’s dominant evening</strong></span></p> <p>With Whitmore sidelined, it gave the Gaels a massive advantage in the paint, starting with our No. 1 ranking player in the 2023 rankings, [player_tooltip player_id="957018" first="Amani" last="Hansberry"]. The 6-foot-7 forward asserted himself immensely on the glass as indicated by his 24 rebounds and refused to be denied on his looks inside to the tune of 13 points. If there was anyone in doubt of Hansberry’s ranking before last night, he gave plenty of reasons to convince them otherwise. He continues to improve his body, become more agile and polish his skills with the ball every time I see him. He threw down three dunks last night, one of which came in transition after poking the ball from an opposing guard on a drive to the basket. It was in that play that you could see his mobility and improved explosiveness as he punished the rim with a one-handed tomahawk. I caught up with Hansberry after the win and he informed me that NC State, Penn State, Illinois, Virginia Tech and George Mason are all recruiting him heavily.</p> <p>https://twitter.com/ColbyGHoops/status/1489575573806587908?s=20&amp;t=-WpZz4PMjI0YOLEmSs9WVw</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Jordan-Pennick-3.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1368422" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/Jordan-Pennick-3-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Pennick and Washington rise to the challenge</strong></span></p> <p>When a team’s primary threat isn’t playing it presents opportunity for others to step up and showcase their abilities under a microscope. I’ve raved about 2022 guard [player_tooltip player_id="954640" first="Jordan" last="Pennick"] endlessly for almost two years now, but last night he proved to be the alpha male other than Whitmore. The 5-foot-11 guard canned four triples on his way to a team-high 19 points and provided endless value on the defensive end as he took turns being matched up against Mt. St. Joe’s talented trio of guards. Pennick brought the energy and fight that his team needed to stay within reaching distance until late in the fourth.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Malik-Washinton.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1335722" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Malik-Washinton-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a></p> <p>2025 [player_tooltip player_id="1370513" first="Malik" last="Washington"] had a performance that should bode well for his confidence moving forward. The Cavaliers have a bulk of seniors this season and Washington gave the fans a preview for what he’ll bring as a foundational piece moving forward. The 6-foot-5 freshman scored 12 points and had the responsibility of guarding both Hansberry and 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1110551" first="Aidan" last="Mess"] throughout the game. He displayed his defensive versatility by guarding in the post and out on the perimeter. Offensively, his scores came after attacking the rim, two times which resulted in finishing through contact and trying to give the Cavs the extra boost of energy that was required to stay in the game. Spalding loses the majority of their production after this season, but having Washington to build around provides plenty of hope.</p> <p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1127305" first="Bryson" last="Tucker"]’s steady consistency</strong></span></p> <p>Tucker’s name isn’t one that a ton of national fans are aware of, but he wouldn’t prefer it any other way. His success on the Team USA Basketball scene speaks for itself and if you’re lucky enough to catch him during the high school season it doesn’t take long to realize how advanced he is for the age of 15. He led Mt. St. Joe with 20 points and when he wasn’t continuously breaking down his defenders with spins, crisp crossovers or hesitations to get to his mid-range spots, he was scoring in transition, one of which included being on the receiving end of a 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="957059" first="Austin" last="Abrams"] lob. Tucker and Hansberry have cemented themselves as one of the top duo’s in the entire DMV and their production will be key in their team’s pursuit of a MIAA and BCL title.</p> <p>https://twitter.com/MSJ_Basketball/status/1489604866704314371?s=20&amp;t=-WpZz4PMjI0YOLEmSs9WVw</p>