Takeaways: Howard vs. McMinn County

<p>Here are takeaways from the McMinn County’s (17-8) win over Howard Hustlin’ Tigers, 65-41.</p> <p>Both teams are still alive, but Howard lost their last two games and will face a tougher road in the forthcoming regional tournament.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1261387" first="Hayden" last="Smith"] slipped down the lane, while accepting a designed and also sharp double-team-splitting bounce pass from [player_tooltip player_id="1034042" first="Davion" last="Evans"], and finished an uncontested layup to beat the first quarter buzzer.  Smith capped off a nearly perfect offensive quarter for the McMinn County Cherokees, 22-12.  </p> <h5><strong>Passing Opportunity </strong></h5> <p>Davion was excellent in the game, routinely shifting the point of attack without hesitation.  Howard is a team full of quick guards and their intense on-ball pressure became and becomes a moderate hindrance when they commit to one point of attack, thus leaving them out of position after the ball swings.  Davion and his teammates made their passes crisply and early.  It was a gorgeous display of unselfish basketball.</p> <p>To open the second quarter, Davion caught a kickout pass with an open three-point attempt in his quiver.  The poised guard elected to penetrate and further expose the scrambling Hustlin’ Tiger defense.  He did it expertly and patiently.  District Player of the Year [player_tooltip player_id="1177172" first="Ty" last="Runyan"] was granted a layup by his fellow guard Evans.</p> <h5><strong>Errant</strong></h5> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1392795" first="Christian" last="Holland"] was always involved.  Though not consistently effective, Holland was extremely active.  His play really sped up the Cherokee defenders and earned his way into the tight spaces. Unfortunately for Howard (18-7), Holland, and [player_tooltip player_id="1389667" first="Jadon" last="Jenkins"] missed so many, too many of those close shots they generated.  </p> <p>Holland did spend most of his night at the free throw line, as he put the Cherokee is countless vulnerable positions.</p> <h5><strong>Shooting Success</strong></h5> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1261389" first="Tucker" last="Monroe"] energized the home crowd with his magnificent three-point shooting. In just the first 11 minutes of the game, Monroe buried 4 three-pointers.  His catch into the release looked very smooth and quick.  Howard struggled to challenge his shots, primarily because Monroe’s teammates provided him the ball early and in the shooting pocket. When Howard pleaded for a timeout, down 28-17 with 5:27 left in the half, Monroe had just fluttered his fourth successful attempt through.</p> <p><strong>Halftime: 38-24.</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>McMinn County</strong></span></p> <p>#00 [player_tooltip player_id="1261387" first="Hayden" last="Smith"] (2023)<br /> #2 [player_tooltip player_id="1034042" first="Davion" last="Evans"] (2023)<br /> [player_tooltip player_id="1177172" first="Ty" last="Runyan"]   10p, 5a, 3r<br /> [player_tooltip player_id="1261389" first="Tucker" last="Monroe"] (2023)<br /> Spradlin (2025)</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Howard</span></strong><br /> #1 Mark Greer* (2022)<br /> #3 [player_tooltip player_id="1392795" first="Christian" last="Holland"]* (2023)<br /> #4 [player_tooltip player_id="1389667" first="Jadon" last="Jenkins"]* (2022)<br /> #5 Norman Freeman* (2022)<br /> #10 Myquise Thomas* (2024)<br /> #14 Najoe Laboo</p>