5 Takeaways: East Aurora vs St. Charles East

<p>In the Ron Johnson Thanksgiving Tournament host St. Charles East played East Aurora in the 3^rd place game on Saturday night.  The two squads played a full out transition game in an up and down contest.  East Aurora won by a final of 74-68.  Here are our <strong>5 Takeaways: East Aurora vs St. Charles East.</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Got Turnovers?</strong></p> <p>First thing that stood out about this contest with the number of turnovers.  The two teams combined for 43 turnovers in this game.  That is in a 32 minute game!  It was a fast paced contest with a lot of steals and buckets off turnovers.  I would bet that over half of the total points were the result of turnovers.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Jacques Kelly Plays Big</strong></p> <p>East Aurora 2021 <strong>Jacques Kelly</strong> is a combo forward that plays much bigger than his height.  He is a big time athlete that plays with a never ending motor.  Finished above the rim on alley-oops and transition dunks.  Quick twitched moves in the paint.  Kelly also rebounded at an insanely high rate on both ends of the floor.  Put his name on the map with 13 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>East Aurora Transition Game</strong></p> <p>It was impressive to see how fast East Aurora turned steals into points at the other end.  Also their ability to grab a defensive board and get points on the other end of the floor stood out.  <strong>Jashawn Huston</strong> is an athletic guard that was quick to the glass on both ends and pushed in the open floor for 13 points and 11 rebounds.  Another guard that made an impact was <strong>Amarion Savage</strong>.  He struggled shooting from deep, but still managed 14 points with his scoring in the open floor.  The Acosta duo of <strong>Jullian Acosta</strong> and <strong>Jabian Acosta</strong> scored well and Jullian in particular was an excellent passer from his wing spot.  Jullian had 14 points and 5 rebounds.  Jabain went for 9 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>St. Charles East Depth</strong></p> <p>On the St. Charles East side what stood out was their depth.  They don’t have a star player on this team that is their go to guy, but will instead depend on a collective effort.  They played 12 players in this game including 8 that clocked more than eight minutes.  <strong>Luke Matheny</strong> is a 5’11” senior point guard who ripped off the first eight points of the game for St. Charles East.  Almost all of his points came in the lane on transition scores or drives for 16 points.  <strong>Sean Sullivan</strong> is a lefty who provided some perimeter scoring with 9 points.  <strong>Aidan Sullivan</strong> did his work inside with several post ups off set plays with quick moves for 8 points.  <strong>Chase Monkemeyer</strong> was quiet scoring most of the game, but ran off a late rally to try to get his team back in the game with scores in the paint.  I thought he was the best passer on the floor in this one as he found guys regularly and didn’t turn it over like his teammates.  Went for 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 dimes.  <strong>Thomas Ditsworth</strong> brought toughness recording 6 points and grabbing 5 boards.  <strong>Jack Settle</strong> provided scoring punch off the bench with 9 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>3^rd Place Games</strong></p> <p>There is always a debate about consolation games and in this case a third place game.  What do they mean?  I think in this case it was a great early season test for both teams as they got to see what it was like to go against a team with a similar style.  Also it was important for both teams to win as the victor would go 3-1 and the loser ends with a .500 record. </p>