St. Mark's Outlast Canterbury for NEPSAC Class B Large Title

St. Mark's and the Canterbury School faced off in the NEPSAC Class B Large championship game on Sunday, March 11th at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA.   The game was a battle throughout, but St. Mark's pulled away late for a 70-58 victory. Below are 6 standouts from Sunday's championship game.    I've never seen Clement shoot like he did on Sunday. The 6-foot-9 forward hit shots on the move and in spot-up situations, many of which were well beyond the line and with a decent contest. He continuously hit shots when St. Mark's needed them most, and he also took advantage of some closeouts once the defense started overplaying his shot. Clement also stuffed the stat sheet with rebounds on both ends, many of which come easy to him because of his size and length. Clement will be a very key returner for a St. Mark's team that will have a chance to repeat next season.     Farrell was excellent for St. Mark's, especially early in the game. He hit a bunch of key threes to get their offense off to a solid start, and then he made some really high-flying layups in transition—I think he's a lot more athletic in the open floor than people realize. Farrell also excelled as a rebounder, especially for his size, and he made smart plays for his teammates when they made sense. He'll also be back for another year at St. Mark's and should be even more comfortable next season.     Echevarria played a nice floor game for St. Mark's and really took them home down the stretch. When Canterbury made the game close towards the end of the second half, the Trinity College commit had a bunch of nice takes to the rim where he either finished or took contact and got to the line. He has such an explosive hesitation move and easily breezes by his initial defender, and then he makes excellent decisions for himself or his teammates once he touches the paint.     Mabilon is a super intriguing prospect who puts his game together more and more every time I watch him. Against St. Mark's, he started off the game with a really nice feed to a backdoor cutter that showcased his ability to see the floor and make passes over smaller defenders. The 6-foot-8 forward also made multiple nice post moves and showed off some nice footwork for his size. He has great skill, and as he continues to get more comfortable and stronger in his body, things are going to really start to come together for him.     I knew Strand could shoot the basketball, but I didn't know quite how effective he was as a movement shooter and spacer. Against St. Mark's he was flying off of screens and hitting three-pointers with solid contests—he gets so much elevation on his shot and has the JJ Reddick quality of being able to shift and balance his body in midair, which is tough to defend and allows you to get a lot more shots off. I'm not sure where Strand will end up, but I would think some D3's should be pretty interested in him.     Ashby has awesome speed and athleticism in the open court, and he did an excellent job showcasing that against St. Mark's. The 6-foot guard got a solid number of rebounds and early outlet passes and consistently got to the front of the rim for passes or layups. Ashby will be a key part of a Canterbury School team that's losing a decent amount next season, so we'll see if he can handle a larger offensive role next season.

St. Mark's and the Canterbury School faced off in the NEPSAC Class B Large championship game on Sunday, March 11th at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA.