lovethegame wrote:Rohan Boney, Anthony Pate and Trevon McNeil also chipped in with double digit contributions from each.
Ha, looks like I have to correct myself, according to the Hamilton Spectator http://www.thespec.com/sports/article/509891--l-africain-leads-halton-to-repeat-title Anthony Pate scored 14 for Halton and there was no mention of the other two being in double digits so I guess they scored just under that. Trevon McNeil did go on a mini-run with some quality takes so he had to have had 8 points at least.
The only thing I disagree with in the Crown article here http://crownmagonline.com/recruiting/buzz/hamilton-spectator-all-star-classic-day-2-results/ (unless I read it wrong) was that Halton "got by" Hamilton, ie just barely. To be honest the 10-point spread at the end doesn't really speak to the dominance Halton displayed. The starters for Halton Mike L'Africain, Anthony Pate, Aaron Campbell, Rohan Boney and Nathan McCarthy established fairly early dominance and the guys who came in off the bench in the first half certainly helped that cause. For much of the game it was a far larger point spread in favor of Halton. There wasn't any point in the game really where there was much of a concern that Hamilton could take it imo although later in the game they made good effort and kept it close.
Fwiw my thoughts on the players from Halton who I've seen all year at various events, I don't know the Hamilton side so will leave that to others:
Mike L'Africain: Was curious to see how he'd perform without his "Loyola triangle" (Adam Presutti - DNP and Rohan Boney - limited minutes due to injury) but he showed that he is able to gel with other guys as well and get everyone involved. His shot is one of the nicest in Ontario if not Canada. At one point he hit a no-look three pointer. Not even kidding, from our angle it seemed he was looking at his player on the left side and hit a three and it didn`t look like a lucky shot in the least bit. He's going to be a great player for the Gee-Gees and pretty easy to imagine him making an almost immediate impact there next year.
Rohan Boney - as mentioned, limited minutes but of course during those minutes showed a few of his weapons hitting shot beyond the arc and jamming it home on the fastbreak. Make no mistake, Boney can go places if he continues to work hard.
Nathan McCarthy - great player, and his 17-point contribution is nothing to shake a stick at, but at times you get the sense that he's going to need to get much stronger for the next level, especially to be able to consistently compete for rebounds and post up authoritatively. Having said that, again, he's an all round player and if he beefs up he's going to put in serious work at Mac.
Anthony Pate - He again showed why he was Holy Trinity`s most valuable player this year even at only grade 10. Solid perimeter defender forces the bad pass or turnover and can defend the paint too ..the odd time gambles on the help and pays for it but easy to see he doesn`t like uncontested baskets. Smooth scorer with strong plays at the rim, solid midrange jumpers and the odd 3, his run in the second part of the game came at just the right time to help keep Hamilton at bay. Want to see him decide to kick out of the double teams he attracts on drives one second sooner to avoid getting tangled up.
Trevon McNeil - Trevon is also a developing into a great player and one of the other main reasons Holy Trinity had solid success this year. He had a mini-run in the third scoring on some sweet takes which again was key to deflating Hamilton`s sails as they tried to chip away at Halton`s lead. Trevon is a quiet but quick shooter and if you give him an inch, he`s taking that shot or driving past you and finishing in the paint with a spin or other creative move.
There`s one other guy that I saw over the course of the two games who I have never seen before his name is Erin Gulerson, a crafty and quick guard from Kings Christian Collegiate in Oakville. Not sure what grade he`s in but he was very good in the first game of the Classic and while just slightly quieter in the final, he`s a player to watch out for imo. Also honorable mention players: Jordan Clarke of Bishop Reding and Aaron Campbell from Nelson who are solid team players, both are very athletic and good defenders.
Home
