After watching Varina High School (Henrico, VA) easily walk away with a win in their own semifinals matchup against Prince George High School (Prince George, VA) in the previous game, the gym began to fill even more to check out the second game of the evening: the #6 seed Douglas Freeman Rebels (Henrico, VA) arrived to take on L.C. Bird High School, slotted as the #2 seed. With a lot of hustle plays making up most of the first half, it appeared as anybody’s game for a good portion of the contest. However, the L.C. Bird Skyhawks began to feel it from distance in their perimeter shooting, which expanded to a more comfortable lead and played a big part in them advancing on to Friday Night’s championship game. Last night’s win also earned L.C. Bird another berth to the state tournament; their third trip in the last four seasons.
Final Score
L.C. Bird – 56
Douglas Freeman – 41
Some Game/Team Notes
- C. Bird did well in making their defensive presence felt early during the first period. They jumped on Douglas Freeman with a full-court press and trapped passes on the perimeter. As a result, this led to many turnovers by the Rebels, either from losing possession of the ball while being trapped by two Skyhawk defenders or trying to make decisions too quickly and ultimately throwing the ball out of bounds. L.C. Bird again has that impressive trait as a team full of scorers that plays hard on defense above all else. Their defense results as much of their scoring success.
- Even with plenty of turnovers in the first half, Douglas Freeman mainly stayed in it by scrambling to earn hustle points and shooting the ball relatively well from different spots on the floor, led by senior veterans Michael Fortune ’19 and Muktar Abdulkadir ’19. The Rebels also performed solidly in contesting shots at the rim, as I remember L.C. Bird having several moments where they got into the paint but couldn’t find a hole to score through Douglas Freeman’s interior defense. Most players on the team contain a valuable intangible of staying disciplined to keep their hands high whenever they meet an opponent at the rim.
- The third quarter ended up looking pretty sluggish, as both teams couldn’t really get anything going on the scoring end and slowed down their pace. A key moment happened about midway in the period, however, when L.C. Bird connected on three straight three-pointers; Tyler Henderson ’20 hit the first one and then Lance Monteiro ’19 completed two of his own. This undeniably woke the Skyhawks up a bit and they went on to increase a bigger lead to 15 points. If I had to point out L.C. Bird’s biggest issue in the second half, it would have to center on boxing out. More than once, they allowed Douglas Freeman to get multiple second-chance attempts on a single possession.
- C. Bird’s hot shooting continued in the final period and they decided to use a strategy of wasting time off of the clock when it ticked down to the two-minute mark. They only needed a pair of fouls to get into the bonus and finished the deed at the free-throw line to travel back home with the win.
- The Boys’ 5B Regional Championship is now set for Friday, February 22nd at Hermitage High School! I expect a full-packed house, as two of the area’s top teams, Varina and L.C. Bird go toe-to-toe once again in their third meeting of the season. The series remains split, as both teams won at home during the matchups. Make sure to get there early if you plan on attending!
Tuesday Night Standouts
Lance Monteiro ’19 – L.C. Bird: The lengthy senior guard/wing had one of the most versatile showings for the Skyhawks as a guy who made plays for both himself, unselfishly looked for others, and competed hard on both ends whenever out there on the floor. Monteiro has good patience with the ball and can confidently lure his defender to sleep before making a move to get by either for a floater, strong drive, or pull-up jumper. His three-level shooting, ability to run/finish in transition, and nose for the ball makes him an Unsigned Senior whom I think has gone under the radar this season partly because he plays on such a talented team that may not require too much from him on a nightly-basis. Regardless, the 5B All-Region third teamer can flat-out play. He had the best stat line of the night, in my eyes: 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
Caleb Kenney ’21 – Douglas Freeman: I REALLY like what I see out of the high-motor sophomore wing. Kenney plays with a relentlessness that gives Douglas Freeman the best chance of retaining a scoring possession if they rush/miss a shot. He was everywhere on the floor throughout the night and continually got a piece of the ball when it came off of the offensive glass. I recall him completing back-to-back AND-1s off of put-backs during a late stretch in the third quarter. Kenney’s still working on his overall skill right now; shooting the ball and handling it well enough to go from north-to-south more effectively. Once he adds that into his ‘workhorse’ type of play, he’ll become more complete offensively. He also showed an impressive vertical leap when he cleared the floor to swat away two shots with authority. Along with those two nice blocks, Kenney ended with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Tyler Henderson ’20 – L.C. Bird: L.C. Bird’s defensive pressure all started with their gritty floor general, who has appeared as one of the top guard defenders in the area all season long. Henderson did a great job of cutting off Douglas Freeman’s primary ball-handlers and making them pick up their dribble once crossing the half-court line. One never really questions his defense; we all know what he brings to the table. On the scoring side of things, the 5’8” guard shot the ball very well, as all nine of his points came from beyond the arc. As a pure point guard, however, it’s more than likely that Henderson’s ability to set up others will always stand out greater than his own individual scoring. He ran the show per usual, racking up a game-high seven assists.
Michael Fortune ’19 – Douglas Freeman: Another Unsigned Senior, the 6’4” wing has a lot of skill and used his strength nicely to make an impact on the rebounding end likewise to his teammate, Kenney. Fortune plays in a composed/disciplined manner by making sure not to force any shot that he feels would end up as detrimental. He can improve a bit more in moving off-ball but looks comfortable in his decision-making whenever owning the possession. His skip passes to open teammates set them up smoothly and he can knock down his own looks as a spot-up shooter. As the game went on, he continued to show more and more fight in going after rebounds, as he grabbed a game-high of 11 to side with his 10 points. A 5B All-Region second teamer that has next-level IQ and skill!
Jamon Battle ’19 – L.C. Bird: No matter which team he faces up against, Battle usually tends to be one of the most athletic players in the gym. He recognized this advantage once again last night and went right into attack mode early, using his body control to drive down the lane for finishes or drawn fouls. Standing at 6’5,” Battle also did a smart tactic of posting up smaller defenders that both he and his teammates recognized as a mismatch. Once he secured position and grabbed the ball, he usually ended up taking a strong dribble to earn yet another trip to the charity stripe. He didn’t shoot perfect from the line but indeed made enough (and a few key ones) to help his team pull away in the second half. Defensively, Battle’s athletic tools fuse well with his anticipation to make a play on the ball consistently. He’s one of the main focal points for L.C. Bird every time they arrive to the gym yet he does so well in not letting anything prevent him from showing steady production. He led all scorers with 17 points, as well as six rebounds, three steals, and a block.
Be sure to also checkout my recap on the other 5B Regional Semifinal game from Tuesday night! ‘Prince George HS vs. Varina HS.’