Rapid Reaction: Great Crossing at Trinity

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*Image used with permission of Deadstock Visuals*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I made the ride down I-64 last night to take in a top 5 preseason matchup as Great Crossing took on Trinity. The game did not disappoint! It was played at a high level but would be even better in March than November. Here are some takeaways from the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1110323' first='Vince' last='Dawson'] is back to 100%</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The last time I saw Dawson, he was getting driven past on straight line drives repeatedly and looked a step slow. Turns out he had a knee bruise behind his kneecap that needed rest to heal. Fast forward to last night and Vince was the best player on the court in a game littered with D1 prospects. He picked his spots en route to a 23 point performance on 9/18 shooting. He looks to be back to his old self.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Trinity has a really good top 7...</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>...But they need to develop one or two more pieces to survive the rigors of a 30 game season. The Rocks essentially played [player_tooltip player_id='1258402' first='Drae' last='Vasser'], [player_tooltip player_id='1144955' first='Julius' last='Edmonds'], [player_tooltip player_id='1269619' first='Josiah' last='Lawson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1302982' first='Lance' last='Chandler'], [player_tooltip player_id='1359139' first='Jayden' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1288982' first='Alex' last='Johnson'] most of the game and Avery Frasher added 7 minutes. Their JV got killed in their scrimmage but Coach Szabo's squad would be in better shape with some more depth, even if it's for 8 minutes per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939114' first='Junius' last='Burrell'] may be the X factor for Great Crossing</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Burrell stepped up with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists for Great Crossing and played hard all night long. If Junius is going to play all season like he did on Tuesday, Great Crossing will be very hard to beat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1258402' first='Drae' last='Vasser'] is the leader for Trinity</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've always enjoyed watching Vasser play but what really stood out last night was that Drae is a GREAT teammate. When he was on the bench, he was still talking on defense. When a teammate hit a big three, he was whipping his towel on the bench and encouraging the fans to make some noise. Vasser had a good game with team highs in 18 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists but his impact extended beyond his on court contributions as he was a leader for his squad.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Free throws made the difference</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game finished with a 64-62 Trinity win but if you want to know where the biggest difference came, it was the free throw line. Great Crossing finished 4-13 at the line while Trinity was 16-21. GC missed multiple opportunities late to tie or take the lead and I'm sure [player_tooltip player_id='1130310' first='Malachi' last='Moreno'] was in the gym today getting free throws up after going 1-6 from the line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->