3 Takeaways from St. Paul’s at Catonsville
Last night the Gators of St. Paul’s School for Girls visited the Catonsville Comets. The Gators took an early lead thanks to some quick work going to the hoop by point guard Destiny Ryles. The Gators led 18-10 after the…
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Continue ReadingLast night the Gators of St. Paul’s School for Girls visited the Catonsville Comets. The Gators took an early lead thanks to some quick work going to the hoop by point guard Destiny Ryles. The Gators led 18-10 after the first quarter and were never really threatened by the Comets after that. They held a 33-19 halftime lead, were up 39-26 after 3 quarters and cruised easily to a 60-40 win.
St. Paul’s dictated the action with their defense and were effective in shutting down everything the Comets wanted to do. Ryles was the game’s leading scorer with 18 points. Larri Sydnor scored 11 for Catonsville.
1. DESTINY RYLES IS FUN TO WATCH
Ryles is an exciting player to watch. She puts constant pressure on defenses by attacking the paint on almost every possession. She is a solid finisher with both hands and gets a lot of transition opportunities for her team.The fact that she is a willing passer and adequate enough of a shooter from long range prevents defenders from sagging off her. She is aggressive on defense with active hands and anticipating passes. She plays with flair, using tricky dribbles (called for a couple of carries) to freeze defenders and create space. This was a good way to start the season for the junior guard.
2. LARRI SYDNOR IS WORKING HER WAY BACK
The junior forward looks to be knocking some rust off her game after dealing with a knee injury. She transferred in from Pallotti and finished with 11 points, 7 in the fourth quarter. It was an off night for sure, but she has a toughness that will serve her well once she gets her conditioning and timing back. She is a legit six footer with good size and cannot be pushed around in the paint. I would like to see develop a face up game with a nice mid range shot so she can get more easy looks at the basket. I’m looking for her to improve as the season goes along.
3. BASKETBALL “TRAINERS” ARE NOT A SUBSITUTE FOR PLAYING PICK UP BALL
This observation is not exclusive to just this game. With the proliferation of basketball instructors who train kids for money, we should be seeing better skills. At any point in your average game six of the players would probably struggle to execute a full sequence of dribble, pass and shoot. My fear is that players and parent believe that training sessions can replace actually playing competitive pick up ball. This is not the fault of the trainers who are simply offering their services, some who are very good at what they do. I would love to see the girls playing more pick up ball without scouts, trainers, coaches, parents and media scrutinizing their every move.