5 Takeaways: Dallas Mavericks Fall Classic Championship Game (Silver Division)

<p>I was treated to an excellent matchup this weekend in the silver division championship game of the Dallas Mavericks Fall Classic. The Village Vikings faced off against the Mount Pleasant Tigers in this early season tournament and they did not disappoint. The Vikings were up for most of this contest, but the Tigers put together a few runs over the course of the game to make things interesting. Village finally ended up taking control of the game mid-way through the fourth quarter and ultimately defeated Mount Pleasant 66-54.</p> <p>Here are five takeaways from the silver division championship:</p> <h5><b>The Village's overall size gave Mount Pleasant </b><b>trouble</b></h5> <p>Mount Pleasant was unable to overcome the size advantage of The Village in this game. The Viking's size across the board afforded them numerous opportunities to come away with second-chance points, and they capitalized on them for the most part. Additionally, their size also affected the Tigers' offense. Senior Center <strong>Jordan Henderson</strong> finished the contest with 12 rebounds and five blocks.</p> <h5><strong>Trace Boling is a stud </strong></h5> <p>Boling is a tall point forward who loves to push the tempo. He can contribute in a number of ways. His size allows him to come up with a ton of rebounds. He can either throw an accurate pass up court to a teammate or take it coast to coast himself. I love how generous of a passer he is. In addition, the senior can hit open threes and has a really nice floater in his arsenal as well. The Vikings primary ball handler accounted for 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the championship game and was named the tournament MVP of the silver division.  </p> <h5><strong>Mount Pleasant is a dangerous team when their shots are falling</strong></h5> <p>The Tigers had a bad shooting day on Wednesday. However, there were stretches of this game where they were shooting the leather off the ball. If they can get hot from deep, they are a tough team to match up with. Mount Pleasant's backcourt duo of junior <strong>Zaveion Okoh</strong> and freshman <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/payton-chism/">Payton Chism</a></strong> are both capable three-point shooters, but they are also solid from inside the arc. Their inability to consistently hit the three in this contest afforded the Village with the benefit of daring them to shoot, and that worked out well for the Vikings. </p> <h5><strong>The Village refused to settle for threes</strong></h5> <p>In the modern era of basketball, the three-point shot is everything... or is it? Although The Village has players like <strong>Hunter Hillegeist</strong> and <strong>Joshua Coughran</strong> who can consistently drain the deep ball, they prefer to attack the basket and get high percentage shots closer to the rim. They have a pair of tall ball handlers in Boling and <strong>Dorian Boyland</strong> who can see over the defense and get the ball into their big men. This team is proof that you don't have to rely on the three-point shot to win games. </p> <h5><strong>Jamarion Brown is super versatile </strong></h5> <p>Brown is a 6'4" wing who is comfortable handling the ball. His length and athleticism make him extremely versatile at both ends. He is an above average three-point shooter with the ability to shoot off the bounce but can also play on the block with his back to the basket when guarded by a smaller defender. Additionally, his length allows him to be very disruptive on defense, as he came away with a couple of steals vs. the Vikings that led to easy breakaway layups. The senior forward has a great feel for the game, and it shows every time he touches the basketball. </p>