Thomas Worthington 50 @ STVM 59 Recap

<p>STVM hosted Thomas Worthington in a battle of two of the top teams in the state on Sunday afternoon. Both teams were coming off season opening losses and were looking to bounce back. This game was back and forth throughout, as Thomas Worthington tied the game with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter. STVM eventually wore down the Cardinals with their trapping style defense and got a lot of easy fast break points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Here were the top performers from the game</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="593905" first="Malaki" last="Branham"], 6’5 SG STVM 2021: Branham sometimes just makes other varsity basketball players look helpless on the basketball court. His finishing in transition is almost impossible to stop and he had an unbelievable block on [player_tooltip player_id="922607" first="Joey" last="Zalewski"]. Branham struggled from outside the paint in this one, missing numerous mid-range and 3-point jumpers. Besides missing outside shots, it was a complete performance from Branham who sealed the deal with three or four dunks in the fourth quarter to further prove his athletic dominance against his peers.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="805137" first="Jalen" last="Sullinger"], 5’11 PG Thomas Worthington 2021: Sullinger put the team on his back in the third quarter, taking over the game offensively for Thomas Worthington. Sullinger was showing his ability to get to the paint and finish, I think his upper body strength is a little underrated for the smaller point guard. Obviously Sullinger is one of the top pull-up shooters in the state and he hit a couple from the parking lot to help keep the Cardinals competitive in this one.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="809600" first="Ramar" last="Pryor"], 6’3 SG STVM 2022: Pryor was a spark-plug off the bench for the Irish and was a key contributor in crunch time to help STVM pull away. Pryor had a couple steals and scores against bench players for Thomas Worthington, showing his ability to pick on less talented players. Pryor also knocked down a key 3-pointer from the corner to put STVM up for good in the fourth and drew a couple fouls while attacking the basket. When STVM seemed to be lacking energy, it was Pryor who brought it for the Irish to help them seal the win.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="867952" first="Darius" last="Stratford"], 6’9 C STVM 2023: I thought the six minute stint for Stratford to open the second quarter was the best I’ve ever seen him play. He was grabbing a ton of rebounds, he was communicating on defense and getting up and down the floor quickly. You want to be patient with young bigs but I think Stratford should be receiving more playing time for the Irish, as he didn’t see the floor in the second half.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="918955" first="Tyrese" last="Hughey"], 6’7 PF Thomas Worthington 2021: Hughey had a couple monster slams for the Cardinals, moving the entire hoop each time. Hughey also used his height advantage to grab a couple offensive rebounds with his quick first jump and length. Hughey didn’t do much outside of the dunker role on offense besides a funky mid-range pull-up. Hughey certainly looks the part physically to play division I basketball, but I’m hoping to see a little more diversity in his offensive game as the season progresses.</p>