Game Recap: Bradley Bourbonnais vs Naperville Central

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A couple of teams around 500 tipped off on Monday night at Bradley Bourbonnais with the Boilermakers playing host to Naperville Central. PHI will take you through a few keys from this ball game and who played an important impact.<br><br>Scores by Quarter:<br>Bradley Bourbonnais: 19, 37, 49, 59<br>Naperville Central: 5, 19, 25, 43</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>A Quick Start<br><br></strong>Bradley Bourbonnais jumped off to an early lead while settling in quickly and comfortably to take control of the game from the onset. Led by guards 2029 [player_tooltip player_id='2862587' first='Dajuan' last='Brown'] and 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='3219863' first='Rontez' last='Smith'], the Boilermakers were able to get into transition off missed shots and convert on opportunities. The pace of the game really sped up in the 3 quarters court trapping press which led to the RedHawks taking quick shots. On the glass offensively, 2027 6'3 PF Julian Gonzalez showed tenacity and grit to grab second chances. 6'3 2028 SG/SF [player_tooltip player_id='2864405' first='Trey' last='Lawrence'] got into the mix as well with multiple offensive rebounds throughout the game to lend a spark and more energy. After the first quarter, BB was up 19-5 and never looked back.<br><br><strong>Sharp Guard Play<br><br></strong>2029 6'1 PG [player_tooltip player_id='2862587' first='Dajuan' last='Brown'] will be a name to keep tabs on over the next 4 years. The true freshmen stayed in attack mode from the git go while steadily being balanced with the rock in his hands. I liked his demeanor to get the outlet quick and pitch ahead to his other skilled guard for early looks. He was very active on the defensive end to rebound as well and that allowed the offense to flow immediately from his hands. He possessed solid court vision throughout while finding open guys after driving to kickout for 3's and filling up the assist department. [player_tooltip player_id='3219863' first='Rontez' last='Smith'] was the other main guard for the Boilermakers who showed quickness on both ends of the floor. The 2027 5'10 combo guard had his nose on the ball defensively the entire evening creating turnovers and making it hard for the opponent to set up an offense. He anticipated passes and laterally made it a challenge for the ball handler. Offensively he knocked down a couple 3's and used agility to find open areas of the court slashing to the rim without the ball to retrieve it and score. Dajuan and Rontez ran the floor consistently which sped up the game in their favor.<br><br><strong>Efficiency From 3 in 1^st Half</strong><br><br>It seemed like every time Naperville North tried to make a run and get into some sort of rhythm in the 1^st half, Bradley Bourbonnais came up with a 3 quickly on the other end to keep the lead at a comfortable margin. [player_tooltip player_id='2864405' first='Trey' last='Lawrence'], [player_tooltip player_id='2407315' first='Jakobe' last='Lawrence'], [player_tooltip player_id='2862587' first='Dajuan' last='Brown'], [player_tooltip player_id='3219863' first='Rontez' last='Smith'], and Drew Kubal all scored it from beyond the arc within the flow of offense. Naperville Central's TJ Hillman tried to keep his squad in it with fast break buckets while showing some anticipation defensively. He led the RedHawks in double digits with 15. In the 2^nd half the pace of the game slowed down as Naperville Central settled into their zone defense and take away distance shooting. However the Boilermakers continued to get into the gaps and either get paint points or found their way to the stripe to win the game 59-43.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->