In our second game of the night, it was time for the boys to get on the court as Lincoln Charter and Concord Academy squared off.' A game that had a ton of intriguing talent, it looked to be a great game to start the season.' In the first quarter, it was Lincoln Charter that came out strong but really looked to use the clock and slow the game down while making Concord Academy work on defense.' It helped them secure a 9-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.' But Concord started to find their rhythm behind their bigs and 2024 Langston Boyd, as they were able to regain the halftime lead 21-18.
In the third quarter, Concord continued to find success offensively while also continuing to make it difficult for Lincoln Charter to score. The outside game started to fall, as Concord was able to expand their lead to double-digits in the third quarter and continue to hold that lead into the fourth. In the end, Concord Academy was able to secure the home-opener 57-44.
Concord: 4 ' 17 ' 19 ' 17: 57
Lincoln: 9 ' 9 ' 10 ' 16: 44
Stats:
Concord: Langston Boyd 15 points/ Carson Cooke 9/ Jayden Munson 8/ Kany Tchanda 7/ Albert Diarra 6
Lincoln: JJ Moore 13 points/ Elijah Burnett 7/ Marcus Farley Jr. 7/ Xavier Crawford 6
Standouts/ Thoughts:
- 2024 Langston Boyd really stepped up when his team needed him. He continues to show his ability to create for himself, play with a physical aspect, and really get to the paint. Boyd continues to showcase his athleticism, finishing over defenders and at the rim.
- Though it was a tough outing and shots didn't always fall, 2023 JJ Moore still showcased his shiftiness on the floor. He creates well and gets defenders off-balanced, and has the ability to use his dribble to create but also knock down outside shots.
- 2023 Elijah Burnett is another guard that caught my eye at times. A long point guard that has a really good feel with the ball in his hands. He was able to get defenders off balance with his pull back dribble, as well as use is wingspan to finish in transition. Solid floor general and creator.
- College coaches need to be taking a look at Concord Academy's two new forwards in 2024 Kany Tchanda and 2022 Albert Diarra. Tchanda is a fluid forward that moves well and has a unique skill for someone his size. Diarra is a long, athletic senior forward that is still raw in areas but has a lot of potential that coaches would like to have. He really made a strong presence in blocking shots, rebounding, and finishing at the rim.
- A name that many might know about is 2023 Carson Cooke. We watched him during the open gym and he shot the cover off the ball from three. Well, he did it again this again, hitting multiple big threes to help his team win. Really has a ton of confidence from behind the arc.