Five Takeaways: Dulaney vs New Town
Last night, the most anticipated Baltimore County match up took place as Dulaney hosted New Town. The two teams have been dominant in county play and had yet to face a team to truly challenge them. The Titans from New…
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Continue ReadingLast night, the most anticipated Baltimore County match up took place as Dulaney hosted New Town. The two teams have been dominant in county play and had yet to face a team to truly challenge them. The Titans from New Town came into the Lion Den and sent a statement with a 78-54 win. New Town now boasts a 13-1 overall record, while Dulaney falls to 11-2 with the loss.
Here are our five takeaways from this one:
Andrew Mills has arrived
Mills has been quietly putting together a very strong junior season, but because of New Town’s lopsided victories, not many have paid attention. Well, last night he showed why you should be. The 6-foot-5 junior scored a game-high 33 points and was a flamethrower from three. Mills nailed seven triples, giving him yet another game this season where he has hit five or more from deep. Many of his looks came from the corner after branching off in transition or in the half court after a quick swing. Nonetheless, it didn’t matter if a Dulaney defender was in his face or not. He rose over top and smoothly buried it. Mills also had a couple of two-handed dunks that helped ignite what already was a rowdy New Town crowd.
Ryan Conway fights for the Lions
It wasn’t hard to see there was one player on Dulaney that simply wouldn’t throw in the towel, and that was Ryan Conway. He finished with a team-high 21 points, 12 of which came from three-point land. The length of New Town’s zone disrupted the Dulaney offense, so Conway had to take it upon himself to create open looks for himself and teammates. While he did a nice job, he didn’t get much help and as a result, was overwhelmed by New Town’s tenacity and ability to get out in transition for quick scores.
Maurice Smith helps Mills create lead
Senior guard Maurice Smith had a big second quarter, scoring eight of his 13 points, to help New Town begin to separate themselves. At the end of the first quarter, New Town led by five points, but thanks to Smith and Mills’ combined 15 points, they were able to extend to an 11-point lead heading into halftime. From that point on, the Titans never looked back. They tried to key on Mills, but Smith would find his way to the basket for a lay up or draw a foul to keep the lead out of reach.
Filling a big void
Julian Reese, New Town’s 6-foot-8 sophomore, didn’t play because of the flu. This is a major piece for the Titans that was missing, but others stepped up in massive ways to avoid a hiccup. Mills and Sekreteri put together a dominant performance as the back line of their 3-2 zone by challenging Dulaney’s paint opportunities and limiting them to one-shot possessions. I was worried about these two areas prior to the game starting, but it didn’t take long to see that the surrounding players had what it took to make up for Reese’s absence.
Executing a game plan
I caught up with Maurice Smith after the game and asked him what the game plan was to stop the explosive Dulaney offense. He had this to say:
“Our game plan was focused on keeping Ryan [Conway] and Che [Evans] out of the paint and force them to shoot deep three’s. We did that all game long.”
Conway converted on a couple of those deep looks from three, but once he or Evans entered the paint, the New Town defense attacked from all angles. At least a handful of times, a Dulaney player would drive and one of the New Town guards at the top of the zone would dig at the ball, knocking it loose and sparking a fast break. Offensively when New Town was in the half court, they didn’t do anything special. They would simply pass and move to an open spot. With quick swings of the ball, a shot or driving lane would open and they would take advantage.