Gallatin Green Wave Crashes Down on White House
Gallatin Green Wave (15-2) outscored the Blue Devils (10-7) of White House 84-42, but Tuesday’s game was significantly more lopsided.
After three quarters, Gallatin lead 75-30. Had not Gallatin Head Coach Bobby Luna pulled his starters late in the third quarter the hosts easily reach 95 points.
Senior Collin Minor racked up 17 points. Parish Cloud recorded a double-double. Zool Kueth was electric. Junior Octavian Arnold excelled in a supportive scoring role and distributed with class.
Ward Rendered Moot
White House got some scoring from Jared Ward, but 30 Ward points still wouldn’t have sufficed.
Jared is one of the better players in District 9. He can create his own shots. Unfortunately for White House, Gallatin clamped budding senior Zool Kueth on Ward. The lanky 6-foot-6 wing did not give much space to Ward. The sharpshooting Ward did not get his customary quality looks at the tin most of the night.
Kueth’s lateral mobility is simply special. Kueth sustained a few minor dings in the game, but managed to play through. At this level the lanky wing takes a lot of whacks. White House had no simpler solution to deter the college prospect.
Jared @_Jward5 with 9, but it is not going to matter at all tonight. The @WAVEbasketball crashed down on White House early.
— Prep Hoops Tennessee (@PrepHoopsTN) January 3, 2018
Foul Mood
White House big man Bryant Reynolds earned his third foul by 5:46 to play in the second quarter. He was not the only victim of the whistle.
Both teams advanced or regressed into the double bonus just beyond the midpoint of the second quarter. Despite the accumulation of fouls the Blue Devils did not stride to the free throw line until 11+ minutes into the contest.
Matchup Problems
Midway through the third quarter the Blue Devils clearly absorbed the brunt of the beatdown. Their players stopped defending their best. The offense lacked the same crispness. Jared Ward worked to create a few shots, but the massive 30+ point deficit took an emotional toll.
Generally White House out-quicks their taller opponents, but Gallatin’s starters managed to match the visiting Blue Devils. Combined with their uncanny length and Parish Cloud’s power the equitable quickness negated, WHHS couldn’t compete on this night.
The post dominance of Gallatin emerged as an area of exploitation.
Parish Cloud corralled so many rebounds. He clattered his body into smaller defenders. It was no contest recovering the basketball after misses. All of his work was done before the shot hit the rim. Parish owned the paint all night. In fact, he barely strayed from this home base. He stepped out just long enough to reset the three second count. And then he re-entered and rebounded.
Shooting Star
Collin Minor torched the nets in the opening half. So enamored with his five three-pointers was Collin that he beamed a smile to his teammates. Fellow senior Maison Terrell acted out the archer’s arrow release as the gleeful teammates retreated back down the floor. Collin could do nothing wrong.
Next Level
Zool Kueth looks and acts like a college basketball player. At 6-foot-6 Gallatin is now able to play him out on the wing. His acclimation to the position hints at a promising future. Kueth can bound sideways and glide to the rim. His mobility puts him solidly in the D-1 prospect camp.
Outside shooting and handle might drag him back down to D-2 land. Still, the season Kueth is having deserves acknowledgment.
Class of 2018 center Parish Cloud maintains a few JuCo sniffs. According to Coach Luna he still has some work to do.