Tag Archives: Analysis

GHSA, Girls Analysis, Girls Basketball

Johns Creek Girls Team Camp Day 2

By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton)

I had the pleasure of visiting Johns Creek High School for the second day of their team camp. I got a look at some of the teams that I missed out on yesterday, including the host team, North Gwinnett, Alpharetta, and Brookwood, who made their first appearance at the camp.

Alpharetta was matched up with the Buford Wolves, who I profiled yesterday, in their first game of the afternoon. Losing only one senior and coming off of a 17-8 overall record last year, the Raiders will be young but confident in the upcoming GHSA season. From what I saw Thursday, they’ll rely heavily on the three-headed monster of Juju and Gogo Maduka, and Kendall Phillips. The Maduka sisters, both long and lanky with incredible reach, are rising seniors, while Phillips, who has no shortage of length herself, will be a junior. Juju, on several occasions, grabbed boards that seemed out of reach and put them back up for easy scores. Gogo exercised more of her mid-range game both vs Buford and Brookwood. She took a couple of nice pullups, able to rise up over smaller defenders. Coach David Walden certainly has some players with potential to work with.

Brookwood is adapting to life after N’dea Jones as the standout forward transitions to Texas A&M to further her basketball career. Kiera Adams played some point/forward for the Broncos in their matchup with Alpharetta. Obviously the most aggressive player on the floor for Brookwood, Adams will be a rising junior looking to attack the basket and get to the line. Malia Grace and Hannah Farr are two sophomore posts who are pretty good at finishing around the rim. Grace at 6’1” got her hands on a ton of rebounds and when she wasn’t able to put a shot up, kicked it back out for an extra possession. I’m interested to see how the Broncos adjust to their new lineup.

Despite only seeing six wins last year, Head Coach Amanda Heil and North Gwinnett are optimistic about the process of getting better. Sydnee Jackson brought high energy for the Bulldogs, attacking and handling the ball very well. North was without Alanni Brown, daughter of NBA star Dee Brown, and sister of Lexie Brown, the Duke guard who helped build the program up before graduating in 2013. With quite a few young players, Coach Heil is focused on getting the program back to where it was just a few years ago.

Johns Creek’s Markeima Lancaster, a 5’8” SF, could not be stopped in the Gladiators matchup with North Gwinnett. Johns Creek ran a four-out, one-in offense that put Lancaster in the best position for her to succeed. Markeilla Lancaster, Markeima’s sister, also performed well. A post presence and vocal leader for the Gladiators, Markeilla cleaned up any offensive boards and hit a few short jumpers. Coach Kirk Call will look to make some noise in 6A Region 7.

Girls Analysis, Girls Basketball

Johns Creek Girls Team Camp

By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton)

Johns Creek hosted a camp Wednesday afternoon in which seven other teams including Buford, Northview, Alpharetta, and Lambert all participated. The camp was strictly held for the purpose of getting reps according to Johns Creek Head Coach Kirk Call. For that reason, scores were not kept and the scrimmages consisted of each team getting 10-minute segments of offense, half-court only.

In my most anticipated matchup of the afternoon, the Buford Wolves and Northview Titans were pitted against each other in a battle of 27+ win teams. The two juggernauts definitely came to play. Northview started with their 10-minute offensive stint first. The Titans had it going early, executing effectively and getting quality possessions. The starting five has a tangible chemistry about them that is a joy to watch. The group is led by senior guard Megan Cistulli, who showed proved to be the vocal presence on the court.

Ashlee Austin

Northview has a solid tandem of 2019 prospects on their hands as well. Ashlee Austin, fresh off her first D1 offer from Ole Miss, shot the ball especially well from deep on Wednesday. Offensive rebounds were there for the 6’1 PF as well as she looks to build on her game.

Maya Richards

Maya Richards, Austin’s fellow junior post presence, also had a strong outing. Richards, the bigger and stronger of the two, had her way with just about anyone in her vicinity. A killer drop step got her to the bucket more times than not.

Rounding out the Titan starting five were Asjah Inniss, an aggressive PG who had about as many assists and as she had threes (and she hit several). Another young guard, Eden Sample, found her stroke from deep as well.

Buford was without its star player Tory Ozment who was out for precautionary reasons, but Coach Gene Durden wasn’t worried about her absence at all. Said Durden, “We know what Tory can do…we want to see about some of the others.”

The others certainly showed what they were made of against a very solid Northview team. A player that I was personally impressed with was young Tate Walters, the Wolves’ sophomore point guard. For the most part, Buford ran a drive and kick offense and on several occasions, Coach Durden had them spread the floor so that Walters could go to work. She did just that, and on several defenders. Her ability to break down defenders and get to the cup was phenomenal. At 5’7” Walters has the vision to see open teammates who drop to the block after she penetrates. It’ll be exciting to see how she progresses in the Buford girls basketball program.

Rising senior Jessica Nelson had the task of guarding Northview’s talented post players. She put as much presence on them as they put on her. Nelson arguably had the best post moves I saw all day.

The Lambert Longhorns looked good coming off of a 26-3 season. The Longhorns were one of the few teams to get up and down the court in their scrimmage with Northview. Senior posts Sidney Chase and Jaleah Greene were a fun duo to watch take on the Northview Titans. M.E. Craven, a long SF, had quite a few nice finishes at the rim to help the Longhorns’ scoring.

Coach David Walden of Alpharetta and Coach Amanda Heil of North Gwinnett brought their respective teams to Johns Creek for some summer work. Both fairly young teams got up and down the floor in hopes of getting some good reps. Coach Heil is entering her first year as the head coach of the Bulldogs, replacing Bryan Sellers who she had previously been an assistant coach for.

Analysis, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Georgia Tech team camp Day 1 notes Part 2

By Rameen Forghani

South Cobb 44, Shiloh 37

It was a tale of two halves for South Cobb, who after falling behind 19-12 to Shiloh in the first half, took advantage of a barrage of floaters and fouls to open the second half and give them just enough firepower to overcome Shiloh in what was the closest game of the night. Shiloh shot 41.2% from the field in the first half (7-17) while South Cobb shot only 25% from the field (4-16).

Shiloh fell into foul trouble early, surrendering seven fouls in the first eight minutes of the first half, compounded by early point guard troubles turning the ball over too often before the team could fall into an offensive set. In an otherwise poor half of basketball, Shiloh ended the half with 9 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive boards, compared to South Cobb’s 10 and 5 rebounds, respectively.

An early run of easy buckets in the paint to open the second half for South Cobb propelled them to the victory, making three straight from the field and two from the stripe before missing. Although outrebounded by Shiloh in the second half, South Cobb shot 71.4% from two-point land (10-14) along with 73.3% from the free throw line (11-15), superior to Shiloh’s 31.8% from the field (7-22).

Shiloh’s inexperienced squad stayed in the 2-3 zone, whereas South Cobb played man with a high press, which at times gave Shiloh issues moving the ball. A technical foul called against a Shiloh guard for complaining about a no-call gave in a tight game gave South Cobb the momentum to finish the game a combined 5-for-7.

Sandy Creek 49, Upson-Lee 34

Upson-Lee head coach Darrell Lockhart elected to sit his frontcourt for the first half of this contest and Sandy Creek took advantage. The lack of depth was evident for Upson-Lee as they struggled to move the ball offensively and get themselves good looks. Indicative of the half that the Knights were enduring, an Upson-Lee assistant coach yelled prior to a trip to the line, “Can you make a free throw?” The answer to his question was promptly answered by the ball’s clang off of the rim.

Sandy Creek was able to build off of their point guard’s energy and post a respectable first half performance. Sandy Creek led 20-8 at the half.
​Despite Tye Fagan and co. checking in to start the second half, Upson-Lee was unable to legitimately contend with the Patriots, a bit worrying for a reigning state champion. As the final score reflects, the Knight starters were unable to close the deficit or stop the Patriots defensively.

Despite rough shooting in the first three halves of basketball on the day for Sandy Creek, their jump shooting improved markedly in the second half. The Patriots were also able to force turnovers and wreak havoc in the waxing seconds of Upson-Lee advancing the ball past midcourt. Sandy Creek was impressive in their ability to stay tough and maintain their aggression throughout the game, attacking the ball handler and leaving them little room to make a play.

Shiloh 66, Duluth 50

Shiloh exploited a tired Duluth early and never looked back cruising to a 66-50 victory in a game that was, for all intents and purposes, over before the half. Shiloh harassed Duluth early in the paint on both sides of the ball, driving and seemingly scoring at will. Shiloh’s early successes in the paint freed up the perimeter, which Shiloh aptly recognized and scored by.

Duluth was simply a step behind and a step too slow to stop Shiloh’s offense; their fatigue showed on jump shots, which consistently came up short of the basket.

The box score is very indicative of the general disposition of the game. With 8 minutes gone in the first half, Shiloh led 16-5. At the end of the first half, the score was 45-21, again in favor of Shiloh. With only 6 minutes played in the second half, the scoreboard showed 57-29.

GHSA, Girls Analysis, Girls Basketball

UGA girls team camp Saturday notes

By Bre Singleton (@bre_singleton)

Head Coach Joni Taylor and the UGA Women’s Basketball program hosted their team camp which started on Friday. Teams in attendance included Class 7A teams Norcross, Collins Hill, Mountain View, Tift County, Rockdale County, Hillgrove, etc. With six courts and two locations, UGA certainly held nothing back.

Tionna Carter’s mother, Jocelyn Penn, played in the WNBA

One of the best players I saw on Saturday is actually a bit of a sleeper. Class of 2019 Tionna Carter of the 7A state runner-up Norcross Blue Devils is one to watch for. As a sophomore, Carter posted a double- double (10 points, 10 rebounds) in the state championship game against the girls basketball powerhouse known as McEachern. The 6’0” forward would prove to be a consistent on Saturday, posting 13 points and 6 rebounds on a Ridge View team out of South Carolina. Carter will look to lead the Blue Devils in the 2017-2018 GHSA season as they attempt to avenge their state championship loss. She’s a player that coaches should absolutely start paying attention to.

Along the same lines, Central-Macon’s Jada Clowers is looking to do some damage in her senior season. Standing at 6’1” Clowers can rebound almost effortlessly. In the two games I saw her in action, she owned the paint, getting easy putbacks. Playing PF/C, she posted eight points and five boards in one game and 11 and ten in the other. As she continues to develop, timing on the defensive end will be huge. She is a presence in the paint but has to make sure she’s getting all ball on her block attempts. Still she swatted several shots, not needing any body contact at all. With some offensive footwork, I think Clowers could prove to be a really solid player at the next level.

Tift County and North Cobb squared off in the afternoon. Azonya Austin of North Cobb had a very productive game from the point guard position. There weren’t many people on the court who could keep up with her. Austin blew by defenders religiously on her way to 18 points. Sydney Soloman also had a solid outing for the Warriors. The 6’0” senior had nine points and 5 rebounds from the 4/5 spot. For Tift County, 5’11” senior Kaysie Harrelson had it going offensively with 10 points. Destiny Johnson wasn’t too far behind with nine, but Tift just didn’t have enough scoring to outlast North Cobb in the end.

Hillgrove played Rockdale County in a 5:00 p.m. slot game. Like North Cobb, Hillgrove had to battle in 7A Region 3 with the likes of McEachern. Against Rockdale County though, the Hawks had it going. Taylor Thompson, a 5’11” senior forward was a beast on the boards for Hillgrove. She put up 11 points and seven rebounds while fellow senior Kierra York added 12 points and six rebounds. Laren VanArsdale, a senior transfer from Whitefield Academy, had seven points and four rebounds from the PG spot to help Hillgrove cruise to a blowout.

Javyn Nicholson

The last game I caught ended up being the best of the day in my opinion. Collins Hill and Colquitt County were in a battle. With the score 24-20 at halftime, this game was destined for a good finish. Coming off of a 23-5 season, Colquitt County gave the team from Suwanee all they could handle. Scoring was plentiful in this one. Za’Nautica Downs lead all scorers with 19 points and each point was spectacular. Diamond Hall added her share, putting up 14 points. Collins Hill has a great nucleus coming back for the 2017-2018 season, lead by non-other than Bria Harmon. She had nine points and four boards for the Eagles. Javyn Nicholson (pictured) was absolutely dominant in the paint pouring in 14 points and pulling 10 boards. Jada Rice, the other half of The Eagles’ 1-2 post punch, had an aggressive nine points and eight rebounds. Collins Hill was able to edge out the Packers 49-46. These two teams will definitely look to make even more noise in 7A than they did last year.

Analysis, GHSA, GHSA Basketball

Georgia Tech team camp Day 1 notes Part 1

By Rameen Forghani

Format: The Georgia Tech summer league camp featured a matrix of teams from across the state of Georgia (and a few from neighboring states) from varied classifications and regions. The games were played on McCamish Pavilion, the Zelnak Practice Court, and multiple rec courts on the Georgia Tech Campus. Each game consisted of two 22-minute halves, with a 2-minute halftime and six minutes in between games. The clock was running through all game situations except for timeouts (each team having two timeouts per game).

Westlake 64, Sandy Creek 39

Westlake overpowered Sandy Creek throughout the game with their depth and size, leaving a smaller Sandy Creek scrambling to create offensive opportunities. One of the hallmarks of this Westlake team two years removed from a state championship is their discipline. They play well as a unit and know their team’s schemes. Throughout the game, Westlake transitioned seamlessly through a 2-3, 3-2, and 1-3-1 zone, while mixing in some man defensively. Their pair of big men inside and good rotation and help-side defense left Sandy Creek with only 4 made field goals in the second half.

Offensively, Westlake appears to be trying to get guard Chase Hunter more involved; throughout the day, Hunter looked inconsistent as the decision maker, often forcing bad passes which led to turnovers or ill-advised shots. Despite being overmatched in terms of size, Sandy Creek was only outrebounded by 6 (32 to 26), and one of the saving graces for Sandy Creek was their speed, which allowed them to harass Westlake on the offensive glass and keep the game closer than their poor shooting performance would suggest (30-24 Westlake at the half).

Sandy Creek’s aggressive man defense swarmed the ball and their active hands wreaked havoc outside of the arc in the first half, although more controlled passing into the posts for Westlake in the second half allowed them to pull away for the victory.

Duluth 67, South Cobb 44

Duluth topped South Cobb 67-44 in a showing of aggressive defense and a blazing fast offense. Although South Cobb came out with a designed tip-off play to set an early tone, Duluth answered in spades with a suffocating full court press that left South Cobb looking a step too slow. Off the inbounds, Duluth’s tall and athletic guards would double the ball, often to leading to a discombobulated press break and offensive set for the Eagles.

With both teams playing fast, transition, up-and-down basketball, Duluth had the edge over South Cobb, scoring a significant chunk of their points in transition. In the half court, Duluth swung the ball with alacrity around the perimeter and left the South Cobb man defense looking confused at times, leading to drive-and-kick opportunities to complement the Wildcats’ good perimeter shooting.

At the half, Duluth led South Cobb 32-16, and the second half didn’t see much change. In a sequence perhaps indicative of the tide of this game, Duluth sinks a tough shot through contact in the paint, misses the and-1, grabs the offensive rebound for a putback and another and-1. In a seemingly tireless display, Duluth stayed in the full court press with man defense and frequent traps throughout the whole game.

Their swarming style of play forced more than a couple of turnovers and unsavory shots, although they had moments of indiscipline where they over-pursued and failed to pick up the open man or relied on their athleticism to rebound instead of boxing out.

If South Cobb could establish the ball in their offensive half court, they stood a better chance of moving the ball selectively from outside to inside, although South Cobb’s constant attempts to ram the ball inside was met with a stout Duluth paint defense.

Upson-Lee, 52 Westlake 35

In a match-up of two championship-caliber teams, the Upson-Lee Knights defeated the Westlake Lions 52-35 in a game where Upson-Lee simply executed better than Westlake in all phases of the game. Fundamentally, not much has changed for Upson-Lee since their AAAA championship run last year. The Knights still rely on Tye Fagan to orchestrate their offense and create chances and buckets. Fagan opened the game with the Knights’ first four points and six of their first ten. Westlake played a 2-3 zone, that although looked sharp in the game versus Sandy Creek, was a bit slow in rotating help on the faster Upson-Lee and continued a trend of being slow to close out on perimeter shots when in zone sets.

Late in the game, Westlake went to a full court press and doubled Fagan when he touched the ball, but Upson-Lee’s speed proved no match for the enhanced coverage.

Westlake had to match up against a fast and active man defense in Upson-Lee. Again, they tried to involve Chase Hunter as the point man in offensive half court sets, although he was mainly made a non-factor save for some perimeter shots throughout the game, in part because of the Upson-Lee defense and in part due to a left lower leg injury he sustained on his way down from a mammoth block at the rim on the defensive end.

Westlake attempted to force the ball inside against Upson-Lee, but active hands in the passing lane and pitting size against size gave Upson-Lee a slight advantage. Westlake was stout in the paint on initial defense, but deflections and offensive rebounds often led to easy buckets for Upson-Lee, which along with Fagan, has an explosive backcourt of small-but-shifty guards that can penetrate off of the dribble or shoot the three.