Open Division: St. Mary's/West Point Notes

On February 19th I attended the Open Division first round game between the St Mary's Knights and the West Point Dragons. This game was a defensive battle for both teams. Buckets for both teams never came unchallenged as St Mary's had a slim 27-23 lead at the half. The third quarter was much of the same as they were tied at 38 heading into the final quarter. A injury that hindered West Point offensively and the size of St Mary's were the deciding factors down the stretch. St. Mary's came away with the victory at 56-50 and advanced to the second round of the Open Division playoffs.   Here I look at a few of the standouts from this game    Cam is 6'11”, possibly still growing and so is his impact on the court. Offensively he scored from various spots on the floor. He showed good touch from the perimeter as well as the ability to put the ball on the floor. Defensively his wingspan disrupted quite a few shots.     Even though he missed a good portion of the final quarter with cramping, Kalikilwa flashed a very good offensive game. He hit some tough shots with defenders draped all over him. He also played a solid game defensively, making things very difficult for the man he was guarding.     Jones at times looked like a man amongst boys. While he was making the perimeter shots that he's typically known for he also got to the lane consistently. When he did get to the lane, he either finished through contact or drew the foul. He also contributed on the boards as well.      The freshman point guard didn't play like a freshman in this game. He played with poise and confidence. He's quick, shifty and knows how to make the right reads. He did not shy away from the big moments of the game and played very tough on the ball defense.      Jefferson is more of a role player, but he played that role very well. He has strong hands and rebounded extremely well for the Knights. He also finished consistently around the basket with limited touches. On the defensive side he played solid defense in the post.      Edgar almost willed his team to a win. He didn't care who was guarding him he was in attack mode. He went to the rim aggressively throughout the game despite the length waiting for him in the paint. In the second half he hit some big shots that gave his team a chance to win.

On February 19^th I attended the Open Division first round game between the St Mary's Knights and the West Point Dragons. This game was a defensive battle for both teams. Buckets for both teams never came unchallenged as St Mary's had a slim 27-23 lead at the half. The third quarter was much of the same as they were tied at 38 heading into the final quarter. A injury that hindered West Point offensively and the size of St Mary's were the deciding factors down the stretch. St. Mary's came away with the victory at 56-50 and advanced to the second round of the Open Division playoffs.