MAC Championship Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>MCLEAN, VA</em> -- Sidwell Friends outlasted St. Andrew's Episcopal to claim the MAC Championship on Sunday. Here are some notes from our observations. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1362721' first='Arinze' last='Achufusi'] | guard | Sidwell Friends ‘23</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Made an immediate impact off the bench. Hit a 3 coming out of a timeout. Made a good extra pass from the wing to an open teammate in the corner. Fought for rebounds. Used ball fakes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1366891' first='Xander' last='Alarie'] | forward | St. Andrew's Episcopal ‘24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Was a threat to score with his back to the basket. Strong finisher in the lane through contact. Hit a mid-range pull-up jumper from one dribble. Excellent rebounder who is a putback threat. Rebounds with two hands. Grabs the ball at its high point. Explosive leaper off one or two feet. Protects the rim. Good Off-ball mover. Made a good look-ahead pass in transition after getting a steal. Good catch and finish thru contact in the lane. Played pretty solid defense on the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1782590' first='Lawrence' last='Brown'] | guard | St. Andrew's Episcopal ‘26</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Applied constant pressure on the ball defensively. Demonstrates quick reactions. Will rebound. Consistently creates space off the dribble. Attacks the gaps. A crafty finisher who can shoot off the dribble. Good off-ball mover. Has a soft touch from the foul line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='957036' first='Marcel' last='Gardner'] | forward | St. Andrew's Episcopal '23</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hit a 3 from the left wing. Stayed down on pump fakes. Protected the rim well. Was active defensively. Walled up and got multiple deflections. Caught the ball in traffic and finished through contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='957022' first='Cam' last='Gillus'] | guard | Sidwell Friends '23</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aggressively looked to get paint touches. Played off 2 feet. Used ball fakes. Boxed out. Rebounded in traffic. Played menacing defense. Vigilant. Dodged picks. Worked on and off the ball defensively. Took away air space on the ball defensively. Got multiple deflections. Dove on the floor. Was very physical. Routinely drove and kicked the ball out to open teammates. Made plays from the pick and roll. Scored second chance points. Makes good things happen whenever the offense breaks down. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1225260' first='Scottie' last='Hubbard'] | guard | St. Andrew's Episcopal '24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Explosive leaper off one foot. Had two chase-down blocks. Hit a pull-up 3. in transition. Scored second chance points. Finished with his left hand through contact. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1049864' first='Mason' last='Jones'] | wing | St. Andrew's Episcopal '23</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Was tremendous defensively. Very physical at the point of attack. Converted a euro-step layup in transition after coming up with a steal. Strong inside finisher in traffic. Plays off 2 feet in the paint. Consistently demonstrated his strength. Seeks contact. Scored second chance points. Rotated well as a help-side defender. Blocked a shot in Q4. Moved well without the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1225257' first='Acaden' last='Lewis'] | guard | Sidwell Friends '25</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Attacks the rim fearlessly. Doesn't fear contact. Drives right and left. Finishes right. Crafty. Has a myriad of finishes. Comfortable finishing in traffic. Scored second chance points. Hit a step back three after crossing over from left to right. Hit a mid-range pull-up after hesitating and going behind his back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1370500' first='Jalen' last='Rougier-Roane'] | guard | Sidwell Friends '25</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jumped the passing lanes well. Explosive in transition. Knockdown shooter. Looks smooth coming off his hands most times. Hit a corner 3. A good off-ball mover who relocates to get open looks. Terrific one-footed leaper. Will attempt poster dunks. Made a clutch block to clinch the game. Dodged picks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1362704' first='Chali' last='Taylor'] | forward | Sidwell Friends '23</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Scored second chance pts. Played physical defense. Forced a turnover after an under-4 timeout in Q4. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>[player_tooltip player_id='1127314' first='Caleb' last='Williams'] ‘24</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Was first on the floor for a 50/50 ball. Made a good extra pass. Took a charge. Hit a long jumper from the left wing after facing up and using a jab step to create space. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->