UCC Watchung Game Recap: Plainfield 64, Linden 61

Last week before the Christmas holiday, the state of New Jersey had their eyes set on one of the most anticipated matchups of the early high school season between two of the state's best public school programs over the last couple of seasons— Plainfield and Linden, both of the UCC Watchung division. In a hard fought, physical contest that had a county final like atmosphere, both teams answered every run. Decided in the closing moments by consensus four star point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2344521' first='Micah' last='Gordon'] hitting a tough turn around game winner off the bounce, Plainfield emerged victorious at the buzzer 64-61 over Union county rival Linden.    [player_tooltip player_id='2344521' first='Micah' last='Gordon'] delivered a standout performance that speaks to his unflappable and steadfast resiliency, remaining poised under pressure in the midst of Plainfield's comeback against Linden. Gordon struggled to find a rhythm offensively early on but leveraged Linden's intense defensive coverage to attack driving lanes and create clean open looks at the basket for his teammates. However as the game went on Gordon was able to get to the free throw line a few times and settle into a nice rhythm and thus never looking back— converting on crafty layups attacking off the bounce with pace and creativity, hitting deep range threes with confidence, and even a smooth mid post turn around fadeaway. Staying even keeled in the biggest moment, with just a few seconds left on the clock and the game tied at 60 a piece, Gordon took the ball the length of the court utilizing different change of direction dribbles to get to his spot and nail a super impressive turn around fadeaway from three point range at the buzzer to seal the victory for his Plainfield squad.     Operating out of Linden's backcourt and thriving as a confident scorer, [player_tooltip player_id='1595682' first='Jayden' last='Holman'] provided a steady scoring punch, particularly highlighting his shot making versatility. In Linden's wire to wire matchup against Plainfield, Holman supplied timely shot making down the stretch— primarily knocking down open looks from three point range at important high pressure situations, particularly as an in rhythm spot up shooter off the catch as well as a fluid movement shooter coming different screens that Linden's offense creates. Complimentary to his dangerous shot making ability, Holman also mixed in a handful of crafty finishes at the rim in traffic when driving lanes opened up throughout the course of the game.     A strong bodied forward who physically imposes his will on opposing defenders, [player_tooltip player_id='2342647' first='Rashawn' last='Williams'] was part of Plainfield's duo that delivered a standout performance in their resilient victory over Linden last Tuesday. Williams leveraged his physical frame to get going offensively— backing down smaller defenders in the low post, attacking driving lanes off the bounce against slower footed defenders all while also utilizing his powerful build and quick second jump to dominate in the rebounding department. Williams' dominance on the interior along side his tendency to invite contact also helped him generate ample trips to the free throw line.     An impactful and efficient wing who gets his scoring done within the flow of the offense with a calmness and poise to him that is glaring, [player_tooltip player_id='1595685' first='Jekhi' last='Burnam'] impressed with his diverse shot making ability. A dangerous perimeter shot maker with a fluid shooting release and excellent lift on his jumper, Burnam converted an open catch and shoot look from three while also converting on a number of different runners and pull up jumpers out of various actions that Linden's offense runs.     An extremely important and highly reliable part of Plainfield's offense and the success that they have, [player_tooltip player_id='3273627' first='Devin' last='Thomas'] was much of himself over the course of Tuesday night's action. Possessing compact and fluid shooting mechanics with the aggressive mindset to constantly hunt his shot, Thomas demonstrated his ability to be a confident and in rhythm off ball shot maker who thrives as both a spot up and movement shooter. Along with his lethal shooting touch, Thomas converted on a handful of crafty finishes in the in between area whenever driving lanes opened up.     A bright spot in Linden's rotation, [player_tooltip player_id='3273632' first='Mouhamed' last='Cisse'] supplied a legitimate spark plug off the bench— providing a steady scoring punch in the minutes he was given. Effective scoring the basketball in the flow of the offense, Cisse flashed the different ways he's capable of putting the ball in the basket— knocking down an open catch and shoot three off a drive and kick, hitting a smooth mid range pull up attacking a closeout all while also being in the right spot defensively to get a quick steal and layup on the other end.     An intriguing combination of length and athleticism coupled with fluidity at his size, [player_tooltip player_id='2201948' first='Asante' last='Jones'] was effective at leveraging those physical tools at opportune moments throughout the game to be impactful on both the offensive and defensive sides of the floor. Jones was seen flashing his athleticism for a couple of above the rim finishes in transition while also using his length and anticipation skills to alter and effect shot attempts around the basket and being an impactful rebounder, constantly crashing the glass and coming down with rebounds.

Last week before the Christmas holiday, the state of New Jersey had their eyes set on one of the most anticipated matchups of the early high school season between two of the state's best public school programs over the last couple of seasons— Plainfield and Linden, both of the UCC Watchung division. In a hard fought, physical contest that had a county final like atmosphere, both teams answered every run. Decided in the closing moments by consensus four star point guard Micah Gordon Micah Gordon 6'0" | PG Plainfield | 2027 State #69 Nation NJ hitting a tough turn around game winner off the bounce, Plainfield emerged victorious at the buzzer 64-61 over Union county rival Linden.