Second time seeing both teams this year. Second time seeing Lawrence North this week actually. East Chicago Central features Jerrick Ware as their main scoring threat. Other than Ware, ECC has a young roster.
Lawrence North dominated the first quarter. They were able to get easy basket after easy basket while East Chicago Central wasn't able to hit anything. Michael Chandler had a huge dunk early and that set the tone for the whole game. LN jumped out to a 26-10 lead after the first quarter.
The second quarter was much of the same. Michael Chandler continued to do work inside while Eron Harris knocked down a couple of deep 3-pointers. Ware still struggled from the field although he was able to get to the line and hit some free-throws. Lawrence North took a commanding 45-24 lead to the locker room.
It looked like East Chicago Central might make it a game by the way they started the third quarter. ECC jumped out to a 9-0 run to start the second half. Jerrick Ware started to heat up from the outside and got the Cardinals back into the game. That momentum was basically stopped by Chandler. Once LN retaliated the game was pretty much over.
The fourth quarter was a bunch of Lawrence North dunks provided mostly by Michael Chandler. They cruised to an 80-57 win over ECC. Chandler led all scorers with 32 points and 5 rebounds while Jerrick Ware led ECC with 26 points.
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Michael Chandler 6'10 C 2011 Lawrence North Committed to UCF
Chandler didn't do any back to the basket moves this whole game. Usually that wouldn't leave a good taste in my mouth, but no one on ECC was over 6'4. Every time that Chandler caught the ball he was looking to dunk it. I really liked that because there are so many college players that aren't used to attacking the basket with authority. Now if he gets some post moves to go with that aggressiveness, he will be tough to stop. He isn't a great free-throw shooter but his form and touch at the line look good from my point of view. I think he can easily be a 75% free-throw shooter which is great for big men now.
Jerrick Ware 5'11 PG 2011 East Chicago Central
Ware might be the best on ball defender at the point guard position I have seen this year. In the two games that I have seen him, he has forced five 5 second calls. I don't think I have seen more than 3 total in the other 30 games that I have been to this year. His lateral quickness is high level. His quickness with the ball isn't up to par with his defensive lateral quickness though. He was only 1-7 in the first half from the field, but rebounded to shoot the ball well in the second half. I think that says something about his mental toughness. Ware is a steal for the D2/NAIA level and I believe he can benefit most LM programs as well.
Eron Harris 6'3 SG 2012 Lawrence North
Eron wasn't a huge part of the LN offense tonight. He knocked down outside shots while he also looked to attack the rim when he received the ball. I was impressed that he didn't force shots and didn't force drives even though he wasn't a main scoring threat tonight. He let Chandler dominate without feeling the need to take bad shots. His shooting ability along with athleticism put him in the MM/MM- class.
Donte Brown 6'4 SF 2013 East Chicago Central
Brown doesn't pop out at you as a fan. He does the dirty work by getting boards, playing defense, and hitting open shots. His mid-range jump is consistent while his 3-pt shot looks like it is improving. He is only a sophomore and with his athleticism and work ethic, I believe he will develop into a very good player. I don't think I can project him higher than the LM+ level right now. This summer and next year will tell us a lot about his abilities as he will be one of the main scorers for ECC when Ware and Anthony Williams leave.
Trey Williams 5'11 PG 2013 Lawrence North
Williams is basically the 3rd string point guard for LN so it is tough to see exactly how good he is right now. I know that he has a good first step, has a quick & accurate outside shot, and is built very solidly for a sophomore. This being the second time that I have watched him closely...I think he projects to be a MM-/LM+ point guard. His height is a drawback, but I haven't seen many other weaknesses. He handles the ball well under pressure, he shoots it well, he attacks the rim.
Eric Harris 6'2 CG 2011 Lawrence North
Eric is one of the few players that is a tweener because of his offense and not his defense. At the D2/NAIA level, I think he could guard up to 3 positions. He is quick, long, and intense plus he isn't afraid to be physical on defense. Offensively, he can handle the ball against pressure but he isn't that comfortable doing it. He is streaky from the outside, but he is good from the mid-range and is a great rebounding guard especially on the offensive end.
Rick Thomas 6'1 SG 2011 Lawrence North
Thomas is a lefty-shooter that can shoot it well off the catch or off the dribble. He is well built and is a pretty good athlete. His handles are not the best so he would likely play a 2 or a 3 at the D2/NAIA level. I think he could do really well for most NAIA programs.
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