Montgomery County Championship Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br>A classic took place on Wednesday evening in the gymnasium of Richard Montgomery High School with the Montgomery County title on the line. Winston Churchill edged Damascus with last second theatrics thanks to their senior lead guard to win by a final score of 53-50. Here are some notes from the matchup:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1413497' first='Isaiah' last='Mbeng'] goes ‘Dame Time'</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mbeng remains one of the top available seniors in our 2023 MD/DC rankings and Wednesday night proved why. The 6'1 lead guard showed off his high level floor vision in the early going after finding his way into the paint and dissecting as help defenders rotated. Throughout, he operated in a slew of ball screens and made Damascus pay for any coverage that wasn't executed or any lack of communication with pocket passes, no looks or quick drives to the bucket. The senior came through when his team needed him most with the game tied at 50 as he nailed a step back three as the buzzer sounded. Prior to the shot, Mbeng struggled to find his mark, so it speaks to his unwavering confidence in big moments. Let's see if he can continue to deliver in clutch moments as the postseason progresses. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>https://twitter.com/ColbyGHoops/status/1628578380508459012?s=20<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1413495' first='Peter' last='Mangan'] steers the ship</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mangan is one of the best senior floor generals that you'll find in the state. At 6'3 he has a strong frame, size that causes mismatches and a feel that any coach longs for in their point guard. Mangan dictated the pace for the Hornets and as usual, looked to score when his team experienced a drought. His balance and ability to impact both ends leaves is extremely valuable and will prove itself again as state tournament play tips off. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1416564' first='Nick' last='Goldberg'] catches eyes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've seen Goldberg once or twice in the past, but to my knowledge do not remember him playing with an entertaining swagger. He has good size at 6'3-6'4 for an off-ball guard and proved himself in this one as a shot creator off the bounce. Whether it was getting to his spots from 12-15 feet and using a bump before fading off one foot or having the confidence of to pull up from three merely seconds after Damascus regained the lead with a triple of their own, Goldberg answered the bell in many ways. He'd end up leading Churchill with 15 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Conor Shiflett's impact</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shiflett's impact was felt on a positive and negative note for Demascus. The 6'6 senior forward feasted on the glass at both ends in the first half. If he wasn't generating second chance points for himself, he was quickly locating shooters around the perimeter for clean kick outs. It was about halfway through the third quarter when Shiflett caught the ball in the middle of the floor as his team was breaking the Churchill press when he rolled his ankle and was forced to exit the game. Shiflett would not return and his absence was evident as Damascus' paint presence and ball screen coverage suffered as a result. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Steven Ndingue's motor makes him fun</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I had heard a fair amount of good things surrounding Ndingue before seeing him on Wednesday. He has good size at 6'6-6'7, a strong frame and an endless motor. He runs the floor with purpose on both ends and was rewarded time and time again from Mbeng and other guards for his efforts. He possesses athleticism to finish strong over the rim or through contact. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1748556' first='Joey' last='Lutz'] shows good signs despite struggles</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you build the reputation as one of the top shooters in the state, you're expected to make almost every shot that leaves your hands. The truth is, there will be plenty of games that the shots look good, they feel good, but the results just aren't what you'd hope. Lutz had somewhat of an off game for his standards shooting the basketball, but still pitched in with nine points in the loss. He had a couple of nice finishes around the basket, a smooth pull-up from mid-range and did capitalize on an open three early on after Shiflett found him with the defense scrambling. What stuck with me from this game was Lutz's effort on the defensive end. He guarded Mbeng for much of the game and when you size them up on a strengths and weaknesses chart, you'd think Mbeng would have a favorable mismatch. Lutz had other plans and instead did a good job of keeping the quick-twitch guard in front of him on the majority of possessions. Ball screens seemed to cause some issues, but it was good to see Lutz move laterally without fouling and even on the last shot where Mbeng won the game, he kept him at bay and offered a solid contest on the release. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->