7A Northwest Regional Final Recap
The 4th meeting between Mountain Brook and Vestavia was over from the jump. Mountain Brook took control early and never looked back. The Spartans made the game look easy. Mountain Brook cruised to a 21-4 first quarter lead. By half,…
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Continue ReadingThe 4th meeting between Mountain Brook and Vestavia was over from the jump. Mountain Brook took control early and never looked back. The Spartans made the game look easy. Mountain Brook cruised to a 21-4 first quarter lead. By half, Trendon Watford was outscoring Vestavia by himself (15-11) and the Spartans had a 32-11 lead. In the 3rd quarter, Mountain Brook came out firing on all cylinders and lead 48-17. In the fourth quarter, the Spartans cleared the bench, and Vestavia finally took the lid off the bucket. Final score of 57-36 Mountain Brook. The Spartans will play in Birmingham vs Lee-Montgomery on the 28th at 10:30. Mountain Brook has made the final four 6 of the last 7 years.
Controlling Tempo
Controlling tempo was a big factor in this game. Mountain Brook used full court presser all game. Alex Washington, Colby Jones, and other Spartan guards made it hard for the Rebels to advance up the court. Mountain Brook’s ability to force turnovers lead to easy buckets. Mountain Brook finished the game with 17 points off turnovers. Vestavia had 0.
Mountain Brook’s Others
Mountain Brook’s secondary options and role players came up in a big way vs Vestavia. Colby Jones attacked the rim at will and got out in transition for a big time dunk. Jones finished with 11 points. Lior Berman has been a steady player all season for the Spartans. Berman battled on the glass, played solid defense, and did a lot of the dirty work. Berman also finished with 11.
Rebel’s Offense Struggles
Against teams with more length and athleticism, you have to take advantage of opportunities. When Vestavia created turnovers, they were unable to score on those possessions. Vestavia finished with 0 points off turnovers. The Rebels struggled to take the lid off the bucket in the game, especially in the first half. In the first half, Vestavia had only 4 made baskets. A 19 point 4th quarter made the score more respectable (57-36). Luke Couch lead the Rebels with 11 points. You can’t afford to have so many empty possessions against the Spartans.
Trendon Watford
How the Rebels would defend Watford was a key to the game. Watford could not be stopped. The Northwest Region MVP finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He did his damage in 3 quarters of action as Mountain Brook emptied the bench in the 4th. Watford impacted the game on both ends, and he punctuated his MVP performance with a one handed flush to end the 3rd.