Griffins and Irish set to face-off in Tournament Final
| BataviasBest.org
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
The first round of the annual Lions Club Boys Basketball tournament concluded last night, as Notre Dame was able to push their way into the second round, while Batavia fell just short.
Game 1 – University Prep 59 Batavia 55 FINAL
The first of two games on Tuesday night began with Batavia taking the first lead at 4-0, as a free throw from Malachi Chenault was followed by a big three pointer from Jerret Laskett at about the 6:00 mark. The quarter pressed on and it would be more of the same from the Blue Devils, with a nice combination of Laskett, Chenault and Jeff Redband driving them to a 14-8 lead at the end of the frame, while the Griffins continued to struggle to find any rhythm offensively.
However, a strong 18-point second quarter opened things up for U Prep. Behind 9 points from Jeenathan Williams during the frame, the Griffins eventual snatched the advantage from the Blue Devils and would go into the half with a slim 1-point lead, as a huge three at the buzzer from Redband cut what was a 4-point deficit down to just one possession. Turnovers plagued the Blue Devils during the first two quarters and led to the disadvantage.
At the break Redband led all scorers with 12 points, while Williams had 9 of his own for U Prep.
To begin the second half Batavia would start with the ball at mid-court and after Redband and Williams traded baskets on either end, a big corner three from Greg Mruczek would retain the lead for the Devils at 30-28. Following which, the Griffins would answer right back in order to tie the score once again midway through the quarter, and would eventually find themselves with another slim 2-point advantage going into the fourth.
Immediately to begin the final eight minutes Batavia started to make a late charge.
In the midst of a huge 7-0 run beginning at about the 6:00 mark of the quarter, Batavia tied the score with 4:02 left to go in regulation, and ultimately vaulted ahead of the Griffins and into the lead at 49-46. With just 3:50 remaining U Prep would call a timeout in hopes of stalling the Blue Devils’ momentum.
Out of the timeout, Batavia’s defense really let them down.
Starting with three straight easy layups, the Griffins were able to string together a 10-0 run of their own which left the Blue Devils staring at a 7-point disadvantage with about a minute left to go in the game. However, Batavia would not go down without a fight and cut the lead back down to four points with 52.9 left on a three ball from Laskett.
After the big shot Batavia sent the Griffins to the line for two foul shots, which they converted, and the score was back at 6 points with under 50 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession another huge three from the Devils, this time from Mruczek, would decrease the deficit to just 3 points with 41.7 left to go. Following the big shot Batavia took a timeout in order to set up their half-court pressure defense.
Out of the timeout the Blue Devils got the trap they were looking for but fortunately for the Griffins they were able to call a timeout and went to the huddle in order to talk things over.
As play resumed Batavia got what they needed again on another sound trap just over half court, and they managed to steal the ball from U Prep in order to give them one last chance at a tie. However, unable to come up with the clutch three-pointer, the Blue Devils gave up the defensive rebound to the Griffins and were once again forced to foul with 4.4 seconds remaining. The Griffins would convert both free throws and the game was over at 59-55.
A big reason for their struggles down the stretch was the fact that Batavia just couldn’t seem to find the production on offense that they needed in order to overcome U Prep. Although they managed 18 points during the final quarter, 6 of those came on the late threes from Laskett and Mruczek when the Devils had already fallen behind by 7.
Also propelling the Griffins victory, and perhaps more of a factor than the Devils’ lack of offense, was the uncanny ability displayed by Williams. The big-bodied, physical Freshman dropped a team-high 19 points during the game and truly had his way with the Batavia defense during the final minutes. Possessing such ability, Williams may be the most-gifted Freshman I have ever seen on a visiting team during the Lions Club Tournament and will likely earn several looks from college programs in the area when it’s all said and done.
Cameron Myles and Isaiah Beinhley had strong days for U Prep as well with 13 points a piece.
Aside from Williams, Myles, and Beinhley, as a whole, the entire Griffins team was impressive to say the least. With over three players 6’3″ or above in their starting lineup, and another who is 6’2″, U Prep possessed such great size and strength that it was tough for the Batavia scorers to get quality looks inside throughout the night. While Chenault finished with just 7 points during a strong first half, the Griffs really tightened up along the interior during the second half and held the big Blue Devils’ forward to a total of 0 over the third and fourth quarters.
Leading the Devils offensively was Redband, who contributed 24 points spread over all four quarters. Right behind Batavia’s leading-scorer were Jerrett Laskett and Greg Mruczek who each scored 11 a piece. It was a break-out game for Mruczek who has done a nice job contributing on both ends thus far.
With the loss, Batavia will face Albion during the second round.
Game 2 – Notre Dame 74 Albion 60 FINAL
The nightcap between Notre Dame and Albion went to ND in a blowout as the Eagles struggled on the defensive end during the first half, leading to an onslaught from the Irish offensively. Taking an early 4-3 lead with 6:22 remaining in the first quarter on Tuesday night, the Irish never looked back and went on to extend the lead to an incredible 30 points during the second half.
Leading their offense to such a prolific first half Josh Johnson and Tyler Prospero each chipped in several big buckets on their way to double-digit scoring. The duo finished with 27 and 15 points respectively as they were each able to hit from the outside while also finding their way to the rim consistently. CJ Suozzi also scored in double-figures for the Irish with 12 points.
Aside from the Eagles’ inability to defend on Tuesday night, ND truly played a dominant game on both ends of the court. Forcing several turnovers on the defensive end, while maintaining consistent production throughout on offense, the Irish put it all together against Albion and will look to carry their momentum into a daunting matchup with the Griffins from U Prep on Monday.
If they hope to compete with their finals opponent, Notre Dame will need to find a way to continue their strong play on the defensive end. While Batavia held each of the Griffins to under 20 points in the opening round, there are several players on their roster which are capable of scoring 20+ on any given night.
Offensively for Notre Dame look for them to shoot it early and often from the outside. While they will struggle to match up with the Griffs’ size, the Irish will be forced to fire away from the perimeter in hopes of countering their opponents’ interior looks with three-point baskets.
All in all, I expect it to be an interesting championship game which could go one of two ways:
The Irish could either come out with a ton of heart in front of the home crowd and pull off the shocking upset, or U Prep could come out and physically dominate the game. Either way, I hope the finals are as exciting as they have been in years past.
The game will begin following Albion-Batavia at GCC on Monday night.
Other articles you may like:
Holiday Hoops: Batavia and Notre Dame gearing up for first round of Lions Club Basketball tournament
Above the Fold: Here are a few things to watch for during the 2014 Lions Club Basketball tournament
