Ireton Tops Bethel Academy On Senior Night

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior Night for Bishop Ireton (14-7, 5-5) did not start off as planned against a hungry Bethel Academy team looking to pull off the upset in Northern Virginia. [player_tooltip player_id='1232158' first='Doyle' last='Brown'] (31p 5r 2s 1a) and Amari McCall (10p 2r) pushed Bethel out to an early 19-9 lead over the home Cardinals midway through the 1Q. Ireton came roaring back behind [player_tooltip player_id='1580719' first='Mekai' last='Johnson'] (16p 10r 3a 2s) and [player_tooltip player_id='2353633' first='Matthew' last='Mena']'s (11p 8r) offensive outburst, pushing the home team to a 35-32 halftime advantage. With [player_tooltip player_id='1259546' first='Jamari' last='Hodnett'] (14p 11r 3a 3s 2b) and [player_tooltip player_id='1782690' first='Silas' last='Devonish'] (7p 3r 3s 2a) pushing the ball in transition off of steals in the 2H, Ireton was able to build a double-digit lead and eventually prevail 71-56. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1580719"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"One of the best all-around performances that I've seen from the St. Joseph's commit. Johnson ripped down 10 rebounds, shot 55% from the floor, collected 3 assists, and got Ireton going in transition with 2 steals. He played assertively without forcing the issue, collecting at least 4 hockey assists along with his 16 points. His burst off the dribble is much improved and he finished well around the basket through u003ca href=u0022https://x.com/owe_hoops/status/1755777788211057144?s=20u0022u003econtact. u003c/au003eInterested to see how he performs down the stretch of his senior year on an Ireton team built to pull off an upset or two in the WCAC tournamentrnrnu0026nbsp;rnrn16p 10r 3a 2s","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1259546"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Hodnett was a menace in the paint attacking the rim relentlessly to finish or grab a rebound. 7 of his 11 rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor, providing his team extra looks at the basket to aid a run midway through the 3Q that put the game away for good. Would like to see him take more advantage of his open looks from beyond the arc (1/1 on the night) to open up driving lanes to the rim for himself and his teammates. The senior finish with an impactful 14p 11r 3a 3s 2b statline in the Senior Night win.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2353633' first='Matthew' last='Mena']","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"6'8u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Bishop Ireton","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='2078457' first='Team' last='Durant']","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Mena was really effective in about 15 minutes of play in this one, flashing his inside-out potential as a freshman prospect that can stretch the floor with his shooting while provide scoring on the block with post hooks and putbacks. Once his lateral quickness improves he will be able to take advantage of the good footwork he has shown on the offensive end as well as his potential to hedge long enough for his teammate to recover on ball screens. Mena finished with 11p 8r in the win","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1232158"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Even though his team faced a double-digit deficit from early in the 3Q and on, Brown cut it to single digits twice with made 3s off the bounce. The senior finished with 31p 5r 2s 1a on 54% shooting, almost singlehandedly keeping his team in this one. A spot shooter that used to make his shots off of movement or off the catch, Brown has added in some improved ball-handling and got into pull-ups cleanly inside the arc and out. Will be interesting to see if he pursues a postgraduate opportunity to add in more burst, athleticism, and ball-handling or if he will begin playing college basketball next yearu002du002dthe stretch run through the playoffs will likely play a big factor.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["999648"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"The strong, sturdy senior F provided some much-needed rebounding and easy scoring opportunities in a second half comeback surge, finishing with 8p 5r on the night. Quaye made an effort to face up and attack his defender more often off the bounce in the 2H and it paid dividends, going on a personal 8-2 run in the 3Q with bull-dozing trips to the basket. I would like to see more of what Quaye can do operating with a bit more space from the top of the key, where he will be able to pick a side and attack his defender's top foot on his way to the rim.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65c5cf93105b1"} /-->