NJSIAA North Non-Public B: St. Mary's 60, Morristown Beard 51

With regular season play and conference champions haven been crowned in recent weeks, the NJSIAA Sectional Tournament is fully in the swing of things with a number of different sectionals headed towards the semifinal rounds. One of the more highly anticipated sectionals that everyone has their eyes on are the Non-Public brackets, with a number of some of the state's best programs all having their eyes on a sectional title. With that being said, let's dive into one of last night's quarterfinal matchups that took place at Morristown Beard School between St. Mary's out of Rutherford, NJ and Morristown Beard out of Morristown, NJ.    A confident scoring guard who possesses the shooting touch to impact the game from the outside alongside his ability to counter his perimeter game with inside finishing, [player_tooltip player_id='2621316' first='Matthew' last='Kennedy'] displayed a rather diverse scoring attack in St. Mary's quarterfinal victory over Morristown Beard Monday night. Known for his dangerous perimeter shooting ability and capable of getting hot and settling into a nice hythm from three point range, Kennedy showcased some of those intangibles to score from different areas on the floor— particularly with his impact as a spot up shooter with his confident and quick trigger shooting release while also displaying an ability to allow the gravity he attracts as a shooter to open up additional offense for himself, flashing his ability to get in the paint and convert on soft touch runners. Kennedy was also effective in transition, allowing the defensive disruption St. Mary's forced as a unit to turn opposing ball handlers over and finish on the other end for easy offense.     Frequently serving as the floor general for this St. Mary's group, [player_tooltip player_id='2763609' first='Jake' last='Ellis'] continued to showcase what makes him such a steady and productive presence at the point guard position, often times maintaining a healthy balance between playmaking and remaining a threat to score with the ball in his hands. Ellis plays with solid poise against pressure, often times using change of pace effectively and demonstrating a solid feel for the game. In key stretches Ellis delivered timely scoring when the offense called for it, particularly in the third quarter, getting to his spots off the bounce and knocking down smooth mid range area pull ups, showcasing a combination of soft touch in the in between area and strong and balanced footwork. Ellis was also disruptive on the defensive end of the floor— playing with really good anticipation in the gaps to help turn defensive pressure into easy offense in transition both as a finisher around the basket and facilitator to his teammates who had opportunistic scoring chances in the open floor.     Often times tasked with setting the table offensively and getting his teammates in the right spots in Morristown Beard's different actions in the half court, [player_tooltip player_id='3536371' first='George' last='Gabriel Ventura'] was effective orchestrating the offense and allowing he and the rest of his teammates to establish a flow offensively. Ventura seemed to put an emphasis on creating drive and kick opportunities as he routinely got in the paint and sprayed the ball out to open guys out on the perimeter. Remaining a threat to score, Ventura also attacked the basket in transition opportunities while also being impactful on the offensive glass to convert on second chance points. Ventura also converted on the ample trips to the free throw line he took.     With his ability to impact the game inside using his length and activity while also adding an interesting layer offensively with some of his guard skills, [player_tooltip player_id='2634334' first='Merrick' last='Olkowski'] made his presence felt on both ends of the floor by pairing his length and athleticism with a relentless motor. Olkowski was tremendously impactful in the paint— catching dump offs from penetrating guards and capitalizing on low post hits on the interior, displaying his soft hands and solid touch around the basket. Possessing rare guard skills at his size and position, Olkowski also attacked the basket on numerous occasions showcasing his ability to put the ball on the floor and finish around the basket with dexterity. Much like his usual self with his activity and motor coupled with his length, Olkowski was impactful on the offensive glass, crashing the boards to creating a number of second chance opportunities.     Having emerged as a reliable and productive guard in Morristown Beard's backcourt as just a freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='3536400' first='Braelen' last='Blackmon'] demonstrated a lot of what has been the catalyst for his success on the court so far this year. Proving to be an optimal floor spacer off the ball in this quarterfinal matchup versus a somewhat experienced St. Mary's squad, Blackmon thrived as a confident spot up shooter, putting up his most impressive perimeter shooting performance to date in just his short high school career thus far. Blackmon buried a number of open looks from three point range and showcased some impressive shooting intangibles in the midst of settling into a nice outside rhythm— relocating in passing windows, staying patient off the ball for drive and kick opportunities in the corner(s), and shooting the basketball with a quick release from the outside. Blackmon also impressed with a number of sound decisions he made in a handful of PnR actions, differentiating between when to look to score and when to look to keep the ball moving.

With regular season play and conference champions haven been crowned in recent weeks, the NJSIAA Sectional Tournament is fully in the swing of things with a number of different sectionals headed towards the semifinal rounds. One of the more highly anticipated sectionals that everyone has their eyes on are the Non-Public brackets, with a number of some of the state's best programs all having their eyes on a sectional title. With that being said, let's dive into one of last night's quarterfinal matchups that took place at Morristown Beard School between St. Mary's out of Rutherford, NJ and Morristown Beard out of Morristown, NJ.