North Montgomery dominated the whole game. They played a 2-3 zone to collapse on Westfield big man Jeff Howard. North Montgomery looked very good offensively but that is easy to do when you make shots. They had a lot of ball movement and set a lot of flare screens. Westfield struggled to get around screens.
Westfield made it a game late by picking up the defensive pressure. North Montgomery did not handle it well. Freshman Ajay Lawton keyed the defensive pressure while Austin Brengle hit some big 3's in the fourth quarter.
In the end, Westfield's run came up just short and they lost by 3 points.
Colin Maltsberger 6'3 senior North Montgomery hit 6 3's on the night. He has good elevation on his jumper. He's strong with the ball...looking to drive when defenders close-out too aggressively. He was very active defensively helping to double team Jeff Howard most of the game. He looks like a very good D2/NAIA player and possibly a low D1 prospect.
Jeff Howard 6'8 senior Westfield was the main reason I went to watch this game. He struggled with North Montgomery collapsing on him and even double teaming him away from the ball. He does post aggressively and really gets after rebounds. He is also pretty good laterally for a 6'8 kid, but he does not jump very well. His shooting form was pretty good except he didn't have any arc on his shot. He ended up going 4-12 from the line and 4-11 from the field. I think he would be a stretch for a low D1 to take him, but I think he could be very valuable for a D2/NAIA school.
Maurice Fuller 6'3 junior Westfield showed a solid knack of getting to the basket. Decent athlete, good first step. Shot seemed above average although he struggled from the outside.
Ajay Lawton 5'10 freshmen Westfield showed great quickness and was very good defensively. He got after the North Montgomery guards pressuring them full court one on one. He missed all of his 3pt. shots, but was able to get to the basket a few times. It seems like he has some potential with his quickness.