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Renaissance pulls off the second big upset of the day knocking off East English Village in a 66-65 thriller (Game Recap)
In the 4th and final game of the day, the Renaissance Phoenix (8-4) took on East English Village (13-2) in what turned out to be one of the better basketball games of the year.
Renaissance is a relatively young team in terms of their main production. Their top 2 players are 2019 duo Carrington Mccaskill and Chandler Turner and they have a freshman point guard who has done well this year despite playing older competition in Keon Henderson who is tough. 2018 duo Cortez Garland and Devin Holmes are their two top seniors.
East English has some decent youth in their team as well, but their main production comes from a senior duo in Mr. Basketball candidate David Dejulius and Zavon Godwin. They get some good production from 2018s Jalen Nix, Keyon Brown, 2019 Tariq Shepherd, and 2020s Collin Golson and Jayshawn Moore.
The first quarter was played evenly as both teams were tied 12-12 after one. Zavon Godwin came out playing with his typical high motor, and it led to him scoring 6 points in the first stanza. Chandler Turner had himself a solid quarter as well for the Phoenix, scoring 5 points.
The second quarter was Renaissance, as they took a 32-25 lead into the break. Turner continued to play solid, as he had 11 points at the break. Carrington Mccaskill came a little more alive in the second, ending with 8 points and 7 rebounds at half. Cortez Garland also provided a good spark in the second quarter, and he had 9 at the break as well. For East English, Zavon Godwin's energy was keeping the Bulldogs in it, as he had 8 points and 9 rebounds.
East English managed to cut the lead a little bit going into the 4th, as they were down 46-41.
The 4th quarter proved to be chaotic for both teams. Renaissance did a fantastic job containing Dejulius the entire game, but Dave began to come alive a little late. With just 1:52 left, the crowd began to thin out, but Dejulius made those who left regret it, as he made several ridciulously tough buckets and cut the Renaissance lead to 1 with the last shot. He narrowly missed it and Renaissance pulled off a monumental upset 66-65.
Chandler Turner led the Phoenix with a game high 19 points, and he also pulled down 12 rebounds and had 3 steals. Carrington Mccaskill had himself a solid game as well, posting 16 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Cortez Garland had 10 points, 3 assists. Devin Holmes was once again vital to the Phoenix's success. He was great at the free throw line for much of the game and played great interior defense. He had 11 points and 5 rebounds. Freshman Keon Henderson was huge in this one as well, scoring 7 points and dishing out 4 assists while playing excellent defense and taking care of the basketball.
For East English, Zavon Godwin had 16 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks. David Dejulius had 15 points and 8 assists, Jalen Nix had had 15 points, Tariq Shepherd had 10 and Sudi McElroy had 7 points and 3 steals.
Below are some notes on a few of the players from this game:
The 6'5 guard was phenomenal from start to finish. His IQ and feel for the game more than makes up for his lack of elite athleticism, and he has a ton of skill to go with the cerebral style of play he has. Turner was an effective scorer at all three levels, and was the Phoenix's top rebounder in this one. He has a lot more size than most guards, so he simply rises above them on many occasions. Turner also got it done on the defensive end, getting three crafty steals and having a nice helped block on a David Dejulius layup that prevented 2 points. Turner is a highly skilled shooting guard that should continue to rack up mid major D1 offers, and could even start garnering MM+ offers with more HM looks if he has a strong end to the high school season and a strong AAU.
David Dejulius- 2018 (Michigan)
The top player in the game and maybe the state was contained in this one. The Phoenix had a fantastic defensive gameplan to keep Dave from shooting, and it largely worked. Dejulius did not force shots just to get his, which was great. He made the unselfish pass to a open teammate consistently, but his teammates struggled to convert open looks in this one. Time after time, Dejulius made the right play and trusted his teammates. Towards the end of the game when time was running out, Dejulius began to take over and hit a few shots that very few in the state could do. If he had just a little more time, I think he would have willed the Bulldogs to a victory. Dejulius had a off game by his standards, but still showed flashes as to why he is one of the best players in the entire country.
The most electrifying player in this game, Mccaskill had numerous big time dunks, which by his standards is normal. The uber athletic 6'7 forward dominates the offensive glass night in and night out, and this game was not much different. His double and triple jump ability is second to none, and it makes him a nightmare to defend under the hoop, even if he gives up 2 or 3 inches to opponents. Like Turner, Mccaskill should continue to rack up Mid Major D1 offers if Renni has a strong end to the season, and with a good AAU could continue to add bigger D1 offers and get more looks from HM programs.
Many may argue the statement above saying Mccaskill was the most electrifying player in the game. They instead may say Godwin got that nod. He had a compelling argument. Like Mccaskill, he had numerous big time dunks, which is also an every game thing for him. Godwin's overall athleticism is phenomenal, and he too like Mccaskill is easily one of the best athletes in the state. Godwin plays much bigger than 6'5 on both ends of the floor thanks to his bounce, his motor and his nose for the ball. Whoever matches up with him every single game needs to be ready to bring their hard hat and lunch pail, because it is going to be a battle against him. He should be able to still be an effective rebounder and dunker around the rim at the High D2 or Low D1 level next season regardless of where he ends up.
The 6'0 scoring guard for Renaissance really knows how to put the ball in the hoop. He does not get the media headlines like his 2019 teammates, but he provides a consistent scoring punch to assist them every single game. Garland is capable of scoring off of smart basket cuts, slashes with the dribble or catch and shoots effectively. What he does need to improve on is his playmaking ability for the next level. The scoring ability is there, but he needs to be able to consistently get his teammates involved more with a few less turnovers per game. JUCO and D3s should be all over him.
Nix provided a major scoring spark off the bench for the Bulldogs. Like Garland above, he just has a knack for putting the ball in the rim. Nix hit 3 big three pointers that kept East English alive. He could be a solid microwave type scorer at the next level for a small college, but needs to improve his ball handling and playmaking abilities as well.
The diminuitive freshman was Renni's X factor in this one. He handled the pressure the Bulldogs threw at him extremely well, and was threading East English's defense and dropped dimes multiple times. Henderson also played great defense all game long, and just did a lot of little things that helped them win. His poise at the point guard spot was one of the biggest reasons that Renaissance was able to win this game. This was the best game I have seen Henderson play this year, and it was on the biggest stage he's played on yet. A very encouraging sign for the Phoenix going forward.
Shepherd consistently provides a ton of little things that help teams succeed. He plays defense, spaces the floor well and is a team first player. Normally, he is a better shooter than what he was in this game. He still managed to make a pair of threes, but he had plenty of open looks and by his own standards, I think he too would expect himself to make more shots than he did. He once again showed off his ability to hit floaters at a very high rate, which is crucial for guards 6'0 or smaller to use at the next level. Shepherd should continue to pick up offers with a solid AAU season and should be ready for a huge role upgrade next season for the Bulldogs.
Here are some highlights from this game: