The fourth game for day two of Phenom’s Holiday Classic took place between two teams who have been firmly in the spotlight over the recent years in Concord Academy and Northwood Temple. Concord Academy quickly asserted their lead, but was quickly answered by a balanced approach from Northwood Temple who led after eight minutes by a score of 16-19. Despite numerous lead changes and continued quality play from Trae Benham, Logan Threatt, Kelvin Perry and the Concord Academy squad, they still trailed 33-34 going into halftime. However, guys like Julian Williams, Emmanuel Sepulveda, and Jaquantae Harris allowed Northwood Temple to remain in the driver’s seat. Thanks to a buzzer-beater in the third quarter, Concord Academy reestablished the lead at 61-59 heading into the final period of play. After another six minutes of back-and-forth play, Northwood Temple secured the lead and never looked back, winning 77-70 over Concord Academy.
Concord Academy:
6’3 ’21 Trae Benham
It should be no surprise to see the Lipscomb commit enjoying another high-level showing as the clear leader of this Concord Academy squad. Benham continues to be an absolutely remarkable shooter with toughness, communication, defensive prowess, and playmaking ability. He continually mixed up his offensive approach, offering a healthy balance between penetration, creating for others, and asserting himself beyond the arc. Benham displays IQ, craftiness, and simply knows how to overwhelm his assignment in a variety of different ways.
6’7 ’23 Sergej Cvetkvic
Although he’s one of the newest additions to this roster, Cvetkvic already has a clearly defined role with this group. He’s a knockdown shooter with size, fluidity, and useful off-the-bounce ability, which should allow him to find opportunities with any collection of teammates. Cvetkvic is a great spot-up threat with quality mechanics and the ability to operate effectively within the flow of the offense. Given his age, it’ll be interesting to see his progression going forward.
Northwood Temple:
5’11 ’21 Emmanuel Sepulveda
There are a lot of appealing prospects on this Northwood Temple squad, and Sepulveda might their most underrated piece. He’s slightly undersized but makes up for it with IQ, toughness, and quickness. Sepulveda is a sharp, heady penetrator with excellent vision and the ability to score in various different ways. He has definite next-level ability and should have numerous opportunities in the college game.
6’2 ’22 Jaquantae Harris
It’s pretty easy to see why Harris is the undisputed leader of this group, given his ability and willingness to effectively run a team on both sides of the ball. Harris is strong, physical, and phenomenal at overwhelming opponents defensively or as a downhill penetrator. He finishes extremely well through contact and accesses his midrange jumper with regularity. Harris forces turnovers and accumulates deflections at a seemingly nonstop rate. He’s great in the open floor and makes unselfish decisions as their primary creator.