Rockledge v. West Oaks: Standouts PT. 1/2
The West Oaks Academy/Rockledge matchup proved to be the marquee game at the “DME Sports Academy/The Grind Session” shootout. Neither team disappointed when it came to scoring, as EIGHT total players managed to notch 10+ points. Rockledge took home the win, 80-76. Only right that we do a two-part standouts piece. Here are the first five.
Dorien Josey – Rockledge: Josey’s a tough guy to guard in the paint. Not necessarily the tallest, but his stout build allows him to power through some contact under the rim. He has a strong first dribble when entering the lane, can finish with the best. If he’s on D, Josey can make life difficult by being able to deny the ball on the pass, and poke away steals.
Tyrieke Blakeney – West Oaks: Blakeney was one of the best penetrators the entire day. His quickness was tough to deal with, and it allowed him to put up 17 points that night. Twelve of his 17 came through the first half. He also knocked down a three treys. Blakeney can get up and snag rebounds without being asked to. Definitely a guard that will do nothing but improve.
D.J. Richardson – Rockledge: Before anything, let me say that the game was two-halves, 18 minutes, each—and Richardson scored just that: 18 points. He led his team in scoring in this game, despite coming off the bench. What’s even wilder, is that he scored all of his points in the last half, of each half. D.J. scored 10 points in the final nine minutes of the first half. He notched eight in the final nine of the second. Possesses a nice floater, can hit the midrange jumper with ease.
Eric Amandio – West Oaks: Amanda is crafty. One of the points I noticed about him before anything was his ability to pick-pocket ball-handlers. He is an aggressive defender, to say the least. He scored 16 points across the game, Eric was balanced on offense the entire night. Where he got his bread is through driving through the lane.
Zay Stevens – Rockledge: Stevens is all hustle, all the time. There wasn’t a moment during play where I saw him take a play, off. He walked away with 14 points, getting 10 of them in the second half. Stevens sunk a pair of threes, but also recorded a couple of steals, too. He can be a key factor in to their playoff run.