Varsity Basketball- Yorktown vs Lapel

This was an entertaining game that came down to the final minutes. Both teams played with the heart and determination to win Saturday's contest. Ultimately, that team would be the Lapel Bulldogs!    Mason showed great leadership in Saturday night's game. The Yorktown team started the game sluggishly. Mason jump-started the offense by knocking down a jump-shot and scoring on a dribble-drive to the basket. Ultimately, his baskets put Yorktown back in the game. He showed the ability to handle the ball, attack the basket and facilitate the basketball. Mason was great at using angles to make shots. When he attacked the paint he scored numerous shots by taking advantage of the backboard. He was the primary catalyst of a Yorktown offense being run to precision. Mason excelled at finding teammates with assists that led to easy scores. He also showed a nice shooting touch from the three-point line. Mason has all the traits of a well-rounded point guard who scores, passes and defends.      Every time I watch Zahden play, I leave the game impressed with his performance. He continues to play the position at a high level. I view him as a natural point guard who shows the ability to score like a shooting guard. Zahden is a great ball handler who excels at breaking down opposing defenses. This allows him to make plays with his skills as a scorer or facilitator. He's a dynamic scorer who paces himself by allowing the game to come to him. Zahden is the type of player who normally shows no emotions in the games I've watched. In Saturday's game he reeled off two threes in a row and yelled to pump himself up. Zahden is capable of catching fire and scoring in bunches once his game starts flowing. Defensively, he was great on the ball. He applied constant pressure by making ball handling difficult for opposing guards. In the coming years, I expect Zahden to be one of the top guards in the state.     Liam's play on the court exemplified how a player should give their all for the team. After watching him play again, I grew an appreciation for how much effort he gave to help his teammates win. This is my second write up of Liam. The first time I watched him play was during the summer. In that setting he looked to be more of a scorer. In Saturday's game Liam excelled as a passer, rebounder and defender. Whenever he had scoring opportunities, he was great at attacking the basket. This led to him scoring most of his points on strong drives to the rim. Liam showed a knack for drawing contact and getting to the foul-line. A couple of those trips involved three-point play opportunities which he calmly converted. Anytime Liam made a positive play, his enthusiastic approach instantly energized his teammates. Defensively, Liam made plays everywhere on the court. He blocked shots, took charges and forced numerous turnovers. Liam is a tough player who brings a physical presence that's valuable to the Lapel team.     Jabin was a dominant force in Saturday night's match-up against Lapel. Whether it was scoring in the post, driving to the basket, knocking down perimeter shots or scoring in transition, Jabin was effective from everywhere on the court. Whenever he grabbed offensive rebounds, Jabin immediately put them up around the basket. A majority of his offensive was scored in the paint. In some instances, Jabin found himself on the wing for open looks behind the three-point line. The big man was able to calmly knock down multiple shots throughout the game. Jabin was the hardest working player on the floor. When he had an opponent isolated on the wing, Jabin beat them off the dribble and effectively got to the basket. I appreciated the energy he showed for the duration of the game. Jabin played like a person who's determined to win at all cost. He's a good all around player who should easily transition into college basketball next season.     Luke is what I call a “hustle guy.” He showed a knack for being effective all over the court. Whether it was scoring, grabbing rebounds, assisting teammates or defending, Luke always found ways to make a difference. He was great at setting screens and running pick and rolls to the basket. One of those pick and roll plays led to a nice two-handed slam in the first quarter of the game. Luke showed the ability to handle the ball and make plays with his passing skills. The majority of his assists led to great shot opportunities for other Lapel players. In some instances, he grabbed defensive rebounds and pushed the pace up-court. This led to Luke scoring or dishing off passes to teammates. He's an athletic player who used his talent to make things tough on Yorktown. Defensively, Luke protected the paint, blocked shots and forced a couple of turnovers. He's a great team player who does all the intangibles needed to help the team be successful.     He plays hard, knocks down threes and rebounds. Owen did a little of everything on the basketball court. I enjoyed watching his drive to be involved on both ends of the floor. Whether it was scoring, taking charges or defending, Owen was a constant threat to make something happen. He's a strong finisher in the paint. Whenever he had the opportunity to knock down threes, Owen shot them with complete confidence. He showed the ability to finish in transition when Lapel ran the court and had scoring opportunities. He showed toughness by attacking the glass and battling for rebounds in the paint. Defensively, he stayed attached to his opponent, forced a couple of turnovers and blocked a shot. Owen plays with a business-like mentality. He's there to do a job and win games.     Devin is the prototypical “ floor general ” who makes everyone around him better. I was thoroughly impressed with his performance Saturday night. He was aggressive on offense and defense. Devin attacked the Yorktown defense for the duration of the game. He's a scrappy player who scored on strong drives to the basket multiple times. I watched a player who had a determined mentality to lead Lapel to a win at all cost. Devin is an excellent play-maker whose assists lead to easy scores for his teammates. He also showcased his skills as a shooter. In the fourth quarter, Devin knocked down the last two of his four threes converted throughout the game. Defensively, he gets after it! Devin excelled at pressuring opposing players into mistakes. He's a great leader whose skilled enough to lead Lapel to a successful season.

This was an entertaining game that came down to the final minutes. Both teams played with the heart and determination to win Saturday's contest. Ultimately, that team would be the Lapel Bulldogs!