McDonald's Texas Invitational - Fort Bend Dulles vs Waco Midway

The McDonald’s Texas Invitational Basketball Tournament kicked off on Thursday, November 18. It was an impressive show with 48 different men’s games played on Day 1 throughout eight different gyms in the southeast Houston area. The seventh game of the day at the Watkins Gym in Deer Park High School featured the Fort Bend Dulles Vikings versus the Waco Midway Panthers. Midway possesses two of the top bigs in the state in [player_tooltip player_id="958563" first="Caden" last="Powell"] and [player_tooltip player_id="958618" first="Cole" last="Reid"], creating a formidable duo against most matchups. Fort Bend Dulles lacked the height to match Midway’s twin towers, but they played with aggression down low and made Powell and Reid work for every possession. Midway proved to be too dominant though, the two big men never let up and made their presence felt in the paint, and with some impressive guard play, Midway came away with the convincing victory over Fort Bend Dulles, 72-38. Below we look at several players from both teams that made some impressive plays and made an impact on the game in their own unique ways. #2 - Terry Montgomery - 5’9" - PG/SG - Senior - Fort Bend Dulles Montgomery put on a passing clinic in this one, showing time and time again his impressive vision and willingness to create for others, trying to get his team going throughout the game. He hit a 3 early in the 1st, putting a stop to an early run by Midway, which seemed to give the offense life for the next few possessions after a rough start to the game. He followed that up with some active hands on defense, getting the steal and then finishing off the fast break with an assist. Midway managed to take control the rest of the game, but Montgomery continued to come away with several impressive passes and he showed fight on the defensive end, taking a charge and diving on the floor for a loose ball multiple times. #25 - David Epega - 6’4" - SF - Senior - Fort Bend Dulles Epega had the tall task of being one of the main defenders in the paint against Midway’s big men and he did his best to make Powell and Reid work for every possession, especially considering the massive height difference he encountered. He held strong in the post, playing aggressive defense and not letting anything come easy for them, even if it meant giving out hard fouls and forcing them to hit from the free throw line. He also did his best to effectively box out whoever he was matched up with, securing defensive rebounds and limiting Midway’s extra possessions as much as possible. He stayed active on the offensive end, as well, with constant off-ball movement and several strong drives to the rim, attacking with patience and composure. #0 - Lawyer Jones - 6’1" - SG/SF - Sophomore - Waco Midway Jones had several impact plays on both ends of the court in this one. He broke the seal on the basket in the 1st with a smooth midrange shot after Midway struggled to consistently score in the first few minutes of the game. He then continued to put pressure on the defense throughout the game with his quick first step and strong drives. His performance can be perfectly summarized by an impressive sequence of events that came in the 3rd quarter. Jones tipped a pass on defense to create a turnover and then sprinted down the court to cap off the fast break opportunity with a monster slam. Dulles then inbounded quickly to take advantage of the numbers they had, but Jones sprinted back and came away with an emphatic chase down block. Jones’ excitement on that sequence did get the best of him, as he was charged with a technical for some choice words, but it was an energizing play that pushed Midway to a dominating finish in the 2nd half. #2 - Braylen McDade - 6’1" - PG - Junior - Waco Midway McDade made his impact as a playmaker for Midway. He consistently attacked the paint throughout the game to keep the defense on their heels and apply pressure on the interior defense as they were occupied with Powell and Reid. He stayed aggressive and embraced contact, forcing Dulles into fouls and getting to the free throw line. He set his teammates up nicely multiple times, as well, delivering timely passes to the bigs down low on his drives or from the perimeter, or dishing out to the arc for open 3’s. #3 - David Whitley - 5’5" - PG - Senior - Waco Midway Whitley could be considered the 6th man of the game for Midway. He provided a huge spark that, when combined with Lawyer Jones’ energizing sequence discussed above, pushed Midway to a dominating 2nd half. He had a somewhat quiet 1st half with a steal and a made 3-pointer, but then, getting extra minutes in the 3rd quarter, he put his explosive first step and electric speed and handles on full display, continuously getting to the paint, delivering beautiful passes to teammates down low or hitting the floater. He also hit an impressive step back 3 in the 3rd quarter when he was simply toying with his defender on the perimeter. #10 - [player_tooltip player_id="958563" first="Caden" last="Powell"] - 6’10" - C/PF - Senior - Waco Midway Powell kicked off the game with an impressive sequence with [player_tooltip player_id="958618" first="Cole" last="Reid"] right off the tip, lobbing a pass to Reid from the free throw line for an overpowering finish by his teammate. After that first gut punch by Midway, though, Dulles seemed to tighten things up and knock Midway off balance a bit. The aggressiveness that Dulles used down low seemed to throw Powell off a bit in this game, limiting his impact in the post and forcing him to do his damage from the free throw line or perimeter. Powell didn’t let that deter him though, he embraced the contact and continued to bang bodies down low, utilizing his height to his advantage and still making several timely plays later in the game, capped off by a beautiful pick and roll in the 3rd quarter and several dunks late in the 4th. He did make sure to make an impact on the defensive end, using his impressive lateral quickness to keep up with the smaller and quicker players of Dulles, and knocking the ball loose several times on passes and on double teams with his quick hands and long arms. #22 - [player_tooltip player_id="958618" first="Cole" last="Reid"] - 6’8" - PF - Senior - Waco Midway Reid, like his teammate [player_tooltip player_id="958563" first="Caden" last="Powell"], seemed to be slightly overwhelmed by the early aggression of Dulles. Also like Powell, though, Reid continued to make his power and strength felt down low. He fought for every rebound, forced his way into the paint and drew several fouls, never shying away from any contact on both ends of the court. The aggression he returned to Dulles paid off for him as the game went on, coming away with several offensive rebounds and managing to get some put backs to fall. The aggressive style of defense that Reid saw may have worked early in the game, but it proved to be a faulty tactic, as Reid became more and more comfortable in that style of play as the game went on.