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Canal Winchester 62, New Albany 61 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Jake Spegal, 01/03/20, 11:00PM EST

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Bilal Sow's game-winning floater lifts Canal Winchester over New Albany in a huge OCC-Capital showdown

CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio -- It's all about how you respond. Following a three from New Albany (8-2) senior Keegan Schaub that gave the Eagles a 61-60 lead with less than thirty seconds to play, Canal Winchester (7-2) senior Bilal Sow got the last laugh on Friday night, finishing an eventual game-winning floater to push the Indians to a huge 62-61 win.

Taking control of the game early on, New Albany used a 7-2 run to end the first quarter and take a 14-9 lead into the second frame.

Despite Canal Winchester finding some rhythm early on in the second, a 12-4 run to end the half helped the Eagles take control and head into the half ahead 30-22.

Schaub and fellow senior guard Jayden Lewis gave the Eagles some excellent backcourt play in the first half, combining for 21 points and creating a ton of offense off the bounce.

While Sow was held scoreless in the first half and senior Cole Metzler was Canal Winchester's only consistent offensive option, the second half did not spell the same for the Indians.

Despite New Albany increasing their lead to 35-26 midway through the third, a 10-0 run from Canal Winchester capped off by a layup from senior ​​​​​​​Tre’Von Robinson put the Indians ahead 36-35 with 3:10 left in the frame as they claimed their first lead since the opening quarter.

While Canal Winchester senior ​​​​​​​Avery Musick increased their lead to 40-36 with 2:27 left in the third after a tough coast-to-coast finish, New Albany quickly responded as sophomore ​​​​​​​Justin Perry hit a tough mid-range and had a nice finish before the end of the quarter that allowed them to take a 45-44 lead into the fourth.

The final eight minutes proved to be the Sow and Robinson show for Canal Winchester, as the senior duo combined for all 18 of the Indians points in the last quarter.

Despite the play of the two allowing Canal Winchester to lead for most of the frame, Schaub wouldn't go down without a fight. The senior guard followed up a tough post score with a really nice left-handed finish and helped New Albany reclaim the lead, ahead 54-52 with 3:42 to play.

After a tough transition score from Robinson put Canal Winchester up 60-58 with under a minute to play, Schaub dove back into his bag of tricks, nailing a corner three to put New Albany ahead 61-60 with 30 seconds to go.

While Canal Winchester tried to create something without calling a timeout for about 20 seconds, the Indians eventually burned one and talked things over with 11 seconds left.

Sow then took the inbound pass from the baseline, drove right, spun away from a double-team and nailed a tough floater to end it as Schaub then had to rush a floater that fell just short at the other end.

Canal Winchester improves to 7-2 with the win and now sit tied for first place in the OCC-Capital with Newark, who they will visit next Friday.

Sow led them with 16 points, all coming in the second half, while Robinson scored 10 of his 13 in the final quarter and Metzler chipped in with 10 of his own.

Zach Miles and Musick also scored eight a piece for the Indians.

For New Albany, Schaub and Lewis each scored 18 to pace the Eagles, while Perry contributed 12 and ​​​​​​​Udai Singh had 10.

They fall to 8-2 after the loss and travel to Mifflin for a non-conference showdown tomorrow.


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Bilal Sow (6'4 WF / Canal Winchester / 2020): Despite being held scoreless in the first half tonight, Sow turned it on in the final two quarters, going for eight points in each frame and leading his team to a huge win down the stretch. The 6-foot-4 senior put a tough floater on display, attacking slower defenders off the dribble and using great touch near the rim to finish consistently. While he only knocked down one three tonight, he was extremely active on the offensive glass, creating a handful of second chance opportunities in the second half that the Indians capitalized on. The senior is a reliable team defender on the wing and has proved to be an above-average shot blocker over the last few months as he uses his length to disrupt finishes on the interior and to affect shooters while closing out. With a good inside-out game, a high IQ and tools you can really work with on the defensive end, the senior would be a really good look for small college programs in the area.

Keegan Schaub (6'1 G / New Albany / 2020): Schaub put together a wonderful performance for New Albany tonight, affecting the game in just about every way (as we got used to seeing him do in the 270 Hoops Fall League) and doing all he could to try and help his team pickup a win down the stretch. The senior guard has both an elite IQ and an elite motor, as he plays with a great feel and is always playing at 110%. He was really, really good passing the ball tonight, as he both knows when to find open teammates while attacking off the dribble and within the flow of the offense. He knocked down a spot up three on that end, scored out of the post once, finished through contact consistently and got to the free throw line on multiple occasions. The senior knows when to make cuts within the offense, gets to his spots and can score from all three levels. We like how he plays on the defensive perimeter as well as he defends the point of attack hard and makes plays in the passing lanes. Any small colleges in the area would be getting a fantastic player in Schaub, as he has one of the best IQ's in the area and truly affects the game in just about every way possible.

Tre’Von Robinson (5'9 PG / Canal Winchester / 2020): While we haven't ever covered Robinson extensively, the senior really caught our eye tonight as he went for 12 second-half points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter, helping Sow lead the Indians to this win. The 5-foot-9 guard is extremely quick off the dribble, as virtually all of his points came by way of the dribble-drive. He used that quickness coupled with a solid handle to blow by New Albany defenders in the fourth quarter, then completing some tough finishes near the bucket with both hands. He finished around length, showed off good body control and knocked down two floaters. Robinson has a really high motor, can defend the point of attack and knows how to create off the dribble. We were really impressed with both the energy and poise he brought down the stretch, as he went on a 4-0 run by himself late in the fourth to tie it at 56 before scoring in transition moments later to put the Indians ahead by two with less than a minute to go. Robinson can give Canal Winchester a big boost in the backcourt if he consistently produces like this, as the Indians are still trying to find more guard help after losing Brady Snyder to graduation last season.

Justin Perry (6'5 WF / New Albany / 2022): Perry was the best prospect on the floor on Friday night, as the 6-foot-5 wing is oozing with potential and put together a solid 12 point outing for New Albany. While he's not the quickest, the extremely long wing span and excellent feel of the sophomore allow him to create shots off the dribble, as he converted on a mid-range pull-up and finished a tough lay-in off a euro step in transition. He used his length to his advantage as well, finishing two putbacks off the glass and showing off his athleticism by throwing down a back door lob late in the game. He also put it to use on the defensive end as he can both block and alter shots near the rim consistently. While he isn't a great wing defender right now, improved quickness could really help him out there as he has the length to cause some major problems on the perimeter. If he continues to grow and get quicker, watch out for Perry, as he is certainly a scholarship player to keep an eye on in the 2022 class.

Jayden Lewis  (6'1 G / New Albany / 2020): Lewis showed a lot of potential on the offensive end on Friday, scoring from all three levels off the bounce and doing a lot of creation for New Albany on that side of the floor. The senior has a quick first step and a shifty handle, as he got by guys on a handful of occasions tonight. He hit two mid-ranges off the dribble, a three off the dribble, finished a tough up-and-under and knocked down a floater with his left hand. Lewis has good shot making ability off the dribble, knows how to create space and can finish with both hands near the rim. He showed off some good vision as well, finding open teammates while attacking off the dribble and in transition. We wouldn't be surprised to see the senior put up some big scoring numbers for New Albany the rest of the winter as he has a nice offensive arsenal and was very efficient with it for most of the night tonight.

Cole Metzler (6'4 PF / Canal Winchester / 2020): Metzler kept Canal Winchester around in the first half tonight, scoring eight of his 10 points in the first 16 minutes. The senior showed off a really good spin move, scoring pretty much all of his points by way of it. He used it to attack from the high post and create clean looks in the post, as he finished through contact on multiple occasions and showed good touch near the rim with both hands. While he didn't have a big second half scoring the ball and got plagued with some foul trouble late, Metzler did what he could, playing some great interior defense and cleaning up the boards excellently for the Indians. While he is still developing more wing skill, we were satisfied with the ability of the senior to attack off the dribble tonight and think small colleges in the area should give him a look.

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