2019 has arrived, meaning the second half of this high school hoops season is officially underway. I started the New Year off by taking a trip up north to Woodbridge, VA yesterday evening for a mid-week contest between the Colgan Sharks and the Hylton Lady Bulldogs. For quite some time now, Northern VA has gained notoriety for its surrounding basketball talent. So, I had to make sure to check out some lady hoops action in the region. While I act mainly as a scout/journalist for basketball in Richmond, I also plan to keep covering some areas of Northern VA as the season continues along. In terms of Wednesday night, even while down two starters, Colgan came out the gate ready and controlled the entire 32 minutes by excelling in several different areas.
Final Score:
Colgan – 49
Hylton – 26
Some Game Notes
- Colgan did the most damage on the defensive end, something that took little to no time for them to display. As a whole, the Sharks succeeded in protecting the rim and making Hylton’s perimeter players highly uncomfortable with their suffocating on-ball defense. They don’t gamble a lot for steals, which proved effective in not giving the Lady Bulldogs any real chances to take advantage of any undisciplined moments. Once Colgan decided to press late in the first half, going into the second, they began to cause even more trouble.
- Hylton showed a zone look for most of the game. They did a solid job of slowing Colgan down in moments but bailed the Sharks out mostly by fouling. Colgan especially earned plentiful trips to the charity stripe during the second half.
- While Colgan spent most of the second half living at the free-throw line, they can improve at these such attempts. They didn’t shoot terrible from the line or anything, but the lead could’ve undoubtedly increased to an even wider margin had they completed some more attempts. When the freebies come around, players always need to knock them down.
- Rebounding stood out the most within Hylton’s game, especially on the offensive end. Their perimeter and frontcourt players demonstrated some admirable hustle and came up with quite a few 50/50 balls at times. Their main problem involved not being able to finish these quick scores once they secured possession of offensive rebounds. If they can polish up this certain area, I see them hurting more opposing teams with second-chance points.
Wednesday Night’s Standouts
Alyssa Andrews ’21 – Colgan: The Sharks’ 5’11” sophomore went off for a completely dominating performance as soon as her name was announced. She has a great blend of both post and perimeter skills that make her a dangerous stretch-4 in the lineup. Her two-way play stood out better than anyone else on the floor; she especially picked up steals, rejected shots, and grabbed boards in the opening period to establish Colgan’s defensive presence. Once the second quarter began, she then started catching fire from outside, knocking down several from deep. She finished with a game-high 23 points (four three-pointers) in the victory. Andrews showed a game well beyond her years for a sophomore… her authority and confident way of taking the court would give anyone the impression that she’s a hooper. Trust me, she is.
Sumaiya Blount ’19 – Hylton: Playing as Hylton’s lead guard, the veteran played at a faster speed downhill than anyone else throughout the night. I honestly felt that the Lady Bulldogs looked better when they used a fast break pace; a notion that Blount could play the biggest role in if initiated. She pushed the tempo really well for the team in spurts and gave Colgan some issues in trying to contain her within the open floor. She didn’t take many outside looks but indeed showed a solid shooting touch. I think Blount should look for her shot a bit more; it could help her team increase their perimeter scoring.
Jordan Smith ’19 – Colgan: A Shepherd University commit and one of Colgan’s top scoring options, Smith looked as one of the Sharks’ main three-point shooting threats and played a strong defensive game on the wing. Her shot appeared a bit streaky last night but she knows how to not force looks and swing the ball around the perimeter to keep opposing defenses guessing. She has some good strength for a guard, muscling her way in the interior for chances at seeking offensive rebounds throughout stretches. Defensively, she played one of the biggest roles in not allowing Hylton’s perimeter players to get paint touches in the half-court.
Kayla Burton ’20 – Hylton: The Lady Bulldogs’ junior post presence had one of the best rebounding games on the night and played the biggest influence in my reference early of Hylton’s efforts on the offensive glass. Hylton showed some ‘high-low’ actions early in the game but didn’t stick to it for very long. Honestly, I think they should’ve used Burton more in these scenarios, as dump downs to her worked in the few times the team attempted to execute the set. Burton’s still working on her offensive consistency, it seems, but definitely has potential to finish strong inside and should keep up her production on the boards. Every team needs a player that relishes going after rebounds.
Kennedy Fuller ’21 – Colgan: Another young face on Friday, Fuller acted as a combo guard during the Sharks’ victory and made plays in an abundance of ways. Whether she was setting up teammates, getting in the lane for floaters, knocking down perimeter shots, going after rebounds, or strapping up on defense, Fuller caught my (and most likely everyone else’s) eye through her exceptionally versatile performance throughout the night. She and Andrews make up for a deadly sophomore duo on the Colgan squad… it’s jaw-dropping to see how advanced they play the game already at such a young age. Fuller should soon make her way on the radar of even more coaches and I expect her to play one of the biggest roles in Colgan’s backcourt for the rest of the season.
New Year, More Games!