“Big Guns Blazing” – Cannon Falls To Cardinal Newman 49-45 – 12/6/19.
It’s not often that big time matchups actually live up to expectations. However, that certainly was the case in Cardinal Newman’s thrilling 49-45 victory over Cannon in Concord Friday night. Of course, everyone was looking forward to the much anticipated…
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Continue ReadingIt’s not often that big time matchups actually live up to expectations. However, that certainly was the case in Cardinal Newman’s thrilling 49-45 victory over Cannon in Concord Friday night. Of course, everyone was looking forward to the much anticipated matchup between ESPN’s Class of 2022 top ranked player Ashlyn Watkins and Cannon’s fabulous Reigan Richardson. Those two players definitely put on a show, but “the others” also showed up and that made for high quality basketball and a thrilling finish. A few observations:
- Audrey Meyers is the best “Robin” I have seen this year. If Meyers decided to change her name to Scottie Pippen, it would be understandable. Clearly because of her overwhelming talent level, Watkins is the alpha, but Meyers is the perfect compliment to the brilliance of Watkins. The 6’0″ Senior Wing scored 20 of the team’s 49 points but that doesn’t begin to tell the whole story. Her overall floor game is magnificent. She is long and skilled with an exceptional handle and she plays under control. In addition, she is a willing and able defender who shot the gap on multiple occasions and made key steals. This young lady is a superstar in her own right and has an incredibly bright future.
- Zoe Edwards of Cannon is a winning player. The 5’6″ Junior Guard is tough as nails and is a big shot taker and a big shot maker. A great decision maker and a fiery leader, she was instrumental in bringing Cannon back from the deficit they faced for much of the game. She finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds and an assist. Honestly, when I saw her at the Charlotte Hoops Challenge last month, she appeared tentative as Cannon squandered a late lead in a 2 point loss to Ardrey Kell. There were no such issues on Friday. She was decisive and a real difference maker for the Cougars and Head Coach Kelvin Drakeford.
- Speaking of Coach Drakeford, he coached his tail off on Friday night. He astutely started out with long and talented freshman Trinity Mathis on Watkins. Mathis used her 5’10” frame and long arms and actually bothered Watkins somewhat in the first half. Once Watkins started having success, Drakeford switched his best defender, Richardson, onto Mathis. Not only did it give us the matchup we all came to see, the switch ignited a mini run for Cannon. Because she was able to rest on defense for much of the game, Richardson had late energy down the stretch when she was asked to defend Watkins and scored the majority of her game high 23 points in leading Cannon’s comeback effort.
- Ashlyn Watkins (21 points) is a phenomenal talent who literally made three or four plays that left the crowd speechless. Obviously, I haven’t seen all the best in the Class of 2022, but I can’t imagine a better prospect than Watkins. She combines preternatural athleticism with strong fundamentals that leave you amazed at the maturity of her game. Polished – that is the word that kept coming to mind. She is an incredible player who’s only weakness (and I use the term in the relative sense) appears to be somewhat inconsistent foul shooting. The sky is truly the limit for this amazing athlete.
- All of that being said, Reigan Richardson stood toe to toe with Watkins and showed she belongs on a national stage. Richardson’s game is very well rounded. She boards, handles, scores, creates offense for others and defends. When I saw her play Ardrey Kell, she appeared to wilt under the pressure of an intense game. A couple of costly late turnovers allowed Eva Miller and Kell to rally for the victory. Yet, when faced with the challenge of dealing with Watkins, she more than answered the bell. I cannot wait to see her later this school season and during the spring when the AAU calendar is upon us.
- Sydney Wood is capable of being Cannon’s third scorer and she will need to be for this team to reach it’s potential. Wood, the 5’7″ Junior Guard is a skilled ballhandler and has a nice shot. She had a great game on the defensive end, but needs to contribute more on the offensive end than the 3 points she scored on Friday. If she doesn’t become the third scorer, then promising freshmen Mathis (4 points) and Anyia Brooks-Manning (5’9″ Guard/Forward) (2 points) will be required to grow up very fast for Coach Drakeford.
- Finally, these type of out of conference, intersectional games are great for our sport. From strictly a basketball standpoint, it’s invaluable experience for Watkins and her teammates like Erin Boyer (2 points) and Alyce Etter (6 points) to go on the road, in a hostile environment, against quality competition and learn how to close games and win. In addition, games like this are great exposure for all of the players on the court. I saw staff from at least 5 division one schools including 3 ACC schools. They saw some really good players and were treated to a very well played contest.