Douglass vs Grace Prep ending

[Sam]

Ok, I alluded to it in the tournament thread but here it is with a description.

First of all it was a great game, little back and forth and hotly contested.

Grace Prep started strong behind Isiah Austin blocking a lot of shots on defense and Jamal Branch being very effective off the bounce. They had a lead after the 1st quarter, then Douglass turned the pressure up and Stevie Clark keyed a 10-0 run (2 threes, a steal and lay up, fast break assist). Douglass built a 6 point halftime lead if I remember right. Douglass played a good 3rd quarter and had a 4 point lead after 3.

Grace Prep started strong in the 4th with Isiah Austin hitting some jumpers and Branch continuing to be strong attacking the hole. Romond Jenkins played really well this quarter and so do Buxton-Hill in the low block. Dorrian Williams hit a key 3 for Douglass late in the 4th as well.

Then with about 35 seconds left Jelon Hornbeak gets fouled for Grace Prep down 64-63. Its an one on one and he hits both. Douglass goes down the court and feeds Buxton-Hill who hits a shot over Austin with about 12 seconds left. Jamal Branch flies down the court for Grace Prep and hits a lay up. Then Devonte Smith, I believe, takes it length of the court and misses the lay up but Romond Jenkins tips it in for the winner. The only thing is I don't think it should've counted. Pandemonium insures, I think I cut if off (this video on my phone) before it went too crazy. The Grace Prep coach (a "energetic"guy in the first place) tears off his suite jacket and chases after the refs who are going to the locker room.

Now here is a poor quality video of it (I dont have the a computer capable of getting it off the camera onto computer but since it has a HDMI port I put it on my TV and then recorded it with my phone. Since my phone can automatically upload it to youtube here it is.)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KANCnwbQ4Ww[/ame]

 

[Sooner_In_MI]

God I love high school sports because of stuff like this haha

 

[Sam]

Here are some things I noticed about various players in the game. These are the players who really stood out for me, the Douglass group of SR guards were all good in their own ways but at times when watching the game while filing they didnt stand out as much as others.

Douglass players

Romond Jenkins - 6'6 2011 Forward - Everytime I watch him play he gets better. Raw as far as basketball skills buts he is really underrated as an athlete. If he was just a little taller with his athletic ability I feel that a lot of Big 12 schools would be in on him. He's good at finishing around the rim and is even better at protecting the rim on defense. He put on a block party in the second half, even stuffing Isiah Austin once or twice. Really good game from this kid, active and a nice athlete.

Marquiss Buxton-Hill - 6'8 2011 Forward
Best I've ever seen him play, the most impressive player for Douglass tonight. The couple times I've seen him play he never impressed. Seemed like just another big body without much else. He showed a nice touch from 10 feet in all game long and even hit a few longer shots. This was big as Austin rarely respected his jumper so it lead to a lot of easy points for the Trojans. Then when he did start hitting it forced Austin to leave the basket some. He also was fearless inside and banging into Austin, even drew some fouls along with some And 1s. He was raw down low and lead to some foolish post moves that were easy stuffs but I really liked the assertiveness and the skill set showed off tonight.

Stevie Clark - 5'9 2013 combo guard - He started slow and missed about 4 threes in the first quarter. Then exploded in the 2nd quarter and had the best stretch of play I've seen from him. He hit two contested threes, got a steal and an easy deuce, threw a nice lob on the break. Ended up with 4 steals or so and about 15 points. Has quick hands on defense. Still playing off the ball mostly which some of it could be attributed to the fact that Douglass has a bunch of SR guards who are better distributors. Seems to be a streaky player who could shoot a team into a game or out at this point of his career.

Arlington Grace Prep
Jamal Branch - 6'3 point guard 2011 Texas A&M signee
Very good at attacking and finishing around the hoop, before Romond stepped up he was nearly unstoppable in the paint. Also a good passer and ball handler who ran the offense well. Rarely shot any jumpers and after talking with a Grace Prep parent a big factor in that is he doesn't get much elevation on his Js. A&M is getting a pretty good point guard who can run an offense and slash.

Jelon Hornbeak - 6'2 combo guard - 2012
Rolled his ankle early and while he hit a couple clutch free throws late but overall he didn't leave an imprint on the game. Heard a lot of good things about this kid from scouting reports, but the three times I've seen him (once last year, twice now) he's never been that impressive to me. Good athlete but he seems to be lost in the shuffle with Grace Prep's other offensive weapons.

Isiah Austin - 7'0 center - 2012 Baylor Commit
Once again has an amazing wingspan and skill set for a 7'0 foot guy. He had to be close to 10 blocks. On defense he anchors a 2-3 zone and makes it hard for teams to attack the basket. Does a good job of rebounding as well, on offense its a different story. While at times he's willing to go down low he doesn't show many post moves. Also weak at times with offensive rebounds and brings the ball down to low allowing smaller players to tie him up or least cause him to assert more effort than needed given his size to score down low. The 2nd half he hit 2 threes and another jumper, so when he's floating on the perimeter on offense its not a complete loss.

Emanuel Mudiay - 6'3 Shooting guard 2014
This kid is going to be good, he's only a true freshman and seemed like Grace Prep's 2nd best offensive threat for most of the night. Only shot one jumper that I noticed and missed but he was effective attacking the lane. He also will crash for offensive rebounds in transition or in the half court. Bouncy athlete, plays fearless, really like his game. I learned from a parent he's always played up for his age group. So him playing varsity for Grace Prep is what is expected for him. I don't know much about the 2014 class but I would imagine he's one of the best not only in Texas but in the nation as well.

 

[Seymore Cox]

good stuff, Sam.

 

[Capel's Mustache]

Good stuff indeed Sam. That finish was insane. I didn't realize they called the tip good until I looked up at the scoreboard. That's how obvious, to me, it was that the hoop shouldn't have counted.

How about some of those passes from Branch? He sees the floor very well and is adept at passing with either hand. A&M got a good one.

I am not saying he will be as good as Udoh but Austin's skill set reminded me of him. He showed decent handles, a nice looking stroke, and erases mistakes around the hoop. Agree with Sam, dude had about 10 blocks.

Goodman was in the house

 

[Capel's Mustache]

Just watched your video...holy cow much closer than I thought