NEPSAC Class C Small Championship: (1) LCA defeats (2) SKS

Lexington Christian Academy defeated Storm King School in the NEPSAC Class C small championship game on Sunday. SKS only had 6 players, and LCA took advantage by pressing for 94 feet the entire game and running the break relentlessly. They cruised to a 64-48 victory.   Here are my standouts from the game.    Clark was undeniably the best player on the court for the NEPSAC Class C small championship game. And quite frankly, it wasn't very close. Clark was dominant on the defensive end and lived off of steals and fast break layups all game. He picked opponents' pockets left and right in one-on-one defense but also got steals off of help-side rotations. Offensively, Clark got into the lane with ease and finished athletically over the defense consistently with both hands. I'll be curious to see how he improves his outside shot in the next couple years – he made a couple in this one but it looks a little bit twitchy, so he definitely has room for improvement there. Definite college player somewhere.     Fernandez does a lot of the little things for Lexington Christian Academy. The junior wing runs the floor well and can finish athletically, but he's also a good role player who makes the right play when the ball gets swung to him. He can attack closeouts with decisiveness and aggression and he also has a little wiggle to his handle when he gets confident – he had a really nice behind-the-back move for a pull-up jumper. The junior should look to improve his shooting ability in the next couple years if college basketball is on his mind, but the mental side of the game is already in a good place.     Guzman is short in stature but he's a really great athlete who has great quickness and jumping ability. He handles the ball against pressure very comfortably and can elevate quite nicely at the rim for finishes in transition – he had a beautiful lefty-layup on the break in the championship game. Defensively, he slides his feet well and is a mirror when it comes to following the offensive player around the court. He never gets beat to the spot. Of course, though, his lack of size could hurt his chances at playing college hoops, but maybe he'll grow.     Downes does just about everything for Storm King School. The 6-foot-2 point-forward is one of the bigger players on his squad but also handles the ball more than anyone else and creates a lot of offense for his team. He started off the championship with a really nice one-legged runner in the mid-range, but he also showcased the ability to get downhill. He plays at his own pace, and although it isn't a fast one, he's under control and confident with the ball. Will be curious to see if he ends up on a college roster somewhere.     Sanchez, like Guzman, is a super short point guard who's very quick and good on defense; even though Storm King School only had 6 players in the championship game, Sanchez was running around making multiple efforts on that end all game, which is a testament to his conditioning and effort level. He also had some flashes of finishing at the rim with the left hand and making some solid dump down passes. Will be curious to see whether he grows at all next year or what else he can add to his game to make himself a college player.

Lexington Christian Academy defeated Storm King School in the NEPSAC Class C small championship game on Sunday. SKS only had 6 players, and LCA took advantage by pressing for 94 feet the entire game and running the break relentlessly. They cruised to a 64-48 victory.