QEA/Oak Ridge – Recap and Standouts
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With a quiet slate on Monday night, I wanted to sit down and catch one of the best games available to watch in the area. QEA and Oak Ridge have been off to hot starts, and I knew it was…
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Continue ReadingWith a quiet slate on Monday night, I wanted to sit down and catch one of the best games available to watch in the area. QEA and Oak Ridge have been off to hot starts, and I knew it was going to be an interesting game from the jump. Read below for the recap of QEA’s 49-43 win, as well as some standout performers from the game.
Recap
Both teams started off with a few early buckets, including a three from Jermaurihyun Anderson, until Oak Ridge opened up a 10-7 lead from a Zackery Goodman three. Da’Mori Lytch Da’Mori Lytch 6'6" | SF Quality Education Academy | 2024 State NC then came alive for QEA with 5 late points to take the first quarter lead, 18-12. In the second quarter, a couple of buckets from Taky Prosper Taky Prosper 6'7" | SF Oak Ridge Military Academy | 2024 State NC and Lundon Pritchett made it only a 1 point game, 22-21 as QEA needed a timeout. However, the Pharaohs responded as Elijah Mobley went on a 6-0 run by himself in order to go into the break with a 30-23 halftime lead.
It was a gritty battle throughout the third quarter, one where defense was king. Both teams kept getting stops and forcing turnovers, but a couple of key buckets from Anderson and JJ Moore JJ Moore 5'9" | PG Quality Education | 2024 NC helped the Pharaohs stretch their lead out to 39-28 after 3 periods. A couple of buckets from Prosper in the paint cut the lead to 3, and the crowd began to really get into it. Anderson came back with a huge layup to stop the run, and Lynch had a couple of free throws to push the lead back out. With the teams trading scores, Sinaris Twitty capitalized on an offensive rebound and knocked down a 3 to make it a one possession game. ORMA had a chance at the lead, but turned the ball over and QEA made their free throws in order to seal a gritty 49-43 win.
Anderson was key to his group’s extension of the lead in the second half, and made some buckets at crucial points in the game. He’s a lefty combo guard who’s really smooth with the ball in his hands, and knows how to make the right decision off the bounce. Good finisher around the rim that relies on finesse and an ability to find a crack in the defense. Solid shooter who made a couple of jump shots in big moments.
Prosper was an incredibly physical force, just like many of his teammates last night, on both ends of the floor. He battled for offensive boards and put himself in good position to earn extra possessions for his team, as well as finishing some of those opportunities. He has expanded his game a bit to show off some mid-range ability, as well as his known finishing ability at the rim through contact.
Highlights
Moore was quiet in the scoring column, but it didn’t go unnoticed how well he ran the show for his team and led with command and poise. He was unflappable by any defense, staying calm and making the right reads when he needed to. Pushed the ball well in transition with some pace to his game as well. Able to stay in front of his man and play good defense, even despite his relative lack of size. Should be a JuCo or NAIA target for someone to get in this cycle.
Lynch is a bigger wing who made some key buckets at critical moments for this team. He had good instincts and an ability to read penetration and move without the ball in his hands, finding some great looks from it. Also executed his role in a baseline out of bounds play perfectly to take momentum into halftime. He’s also switchable and not someone you need to worry about on defense if you’re a coach.
Zackery Goodman
Zackery Goodman
Goodman ran the show for his team most of the night at the guard spot, showing off solid play and keeping his team composed when they struggled at periods. He’s good with the ball either in his hands or without it, as he is a capable shooter and decision maker. Also had some good perimeter defense, staying sticky to his man and not letting them get a free line to the basket.