Short-Handed Cane Bay Surges Past Stratford

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>USE CODE “baxley30” FOR 30% OFF THE FIRST PURCHASE OF ANY SUBSCRIPTION</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite being down key players like <strong>Jamel McKinley</strong>, <strong>Jahleel Sanders</strong>, and <strong>Christian Davis</strong>, the Cane Bay Cobras protected their home floor and completed the season sweep of region foe Stratford High School on Tuesday Night. They were terrific in the second half, using a stifling defense to hold the Knights to just 13 points, often turning that excellent defense into transition opportunities on the other end. Check out five of my individual standouts from Cane Bay's 63-52 win over Stratford:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1206190"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-697a361b01cfb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">First up is the guy who had the offense clicking on all cylinders: [player_tooltip player_id='1206190' first='Andre' last='Hagler']. It had been a quieter senior season than he had liked coming into the night, but Hagler looked determined to win and earn more minutes with 6 points and 8 assists in the start on Tuesday. Andre is a smaller, crafty, true Point Guard who looks to get others open looks before he does for himself. However, he is also capable of hitting shots himself, as he displayed with a catch-and-shoot right-wing three and a mid-range pull-up with soft touch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1982060"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-697a361b01da5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Terry is another guy who might be undersized positionally, but is a lot to handle when he's at his best. He consistently controlled the defensive glass and used his physical frame to punish smaller forwards near the rim on offense. Truesdale can catch the ball with his back to the basket and work from the post or drive from the perimeter and finish in the teeth of the defense. Late in the game, Terry had a huge play where he blocked a jump shot and saved the ball off the shooter to help seal the game for the Cobras. He finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds in the win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3449776"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-697a361b01e1b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The third Cane Bay standout from Tuesday night is Ford. He stepped up big for them in the second half, scoring 9 of his 13 points late as the Cobras flipped a seven-point halftime deficit into an 11-point win. Tristan's scoring came at all three levels: he got to the rim in the half-court and transition, created a tough mid-range jumper for himself, and even connected on a catch-and-shoot three. Ford might not be the biggest name on this roster, but one of the things that makes this team special is how many guys like Tristan can impact winning when their number is called. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2175536"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-697a361b01e8b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Green was impressive for Stratford despite the loss. He was the architect in building a first-half lead, creating multiple turnovers in the Knights' full-court press. Donovan was also key as a passer, frequently finding the holes in the Cane Bay zone to set up shooters for open looks. Green was mostly the one starting the offense for the Knights on Tuesday, but he is also capable of finishing possessions with buckets after sets breakdown. He totaled 5 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2888079"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-697a361b01f29"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2888079' first='Herman' last='Smith'] caps off my evaluations from the midweek matchup between Stratford and Cane Bay. Smith has been one of the best junior scorers in the state so far this season, but he showed a different side of his game last night. He did put up 9 points with a couple of nice takes to the rim, however, it was the 6 assists that really caught my eye. Herman rarely forced shots, consistently probing the opposing defense to find the best shot for his team. He was also impactful defensively, especially when the Knights went on their runs in the first half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->