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Beechcroft 62, Linden-McKinley 61 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Mark Francis, 02/08/21, 11:00PM EST

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Amani Lyles' game-winning three powered Beechcroft over Linden

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- On a night where the Cougars celebrated their seniors, it was junior Amani Lyles who stole the show and drained a three-pointer to give his team a one-point victory over Linden-McKinley, 62-61.

Lyles’ triple fell like the snow in Columbus, soft and hitting nothing but net. The win sets up a previously cancelled showdown between Beechcroft and Northland for rights to the City League North title.  

The Panthers started the game attacking the Cougars to the tune of a 7-0 run to start the game. Junior Jamari Strickland nailed a jumper to end it and put the home team on the board.

A steal and bucket from Strickland cut the lead to 11-9 in favor of Linden. Junior forward Amani Lyles scored his only first quarter basket to bring the score to 16-15 in favor of the Panthers, then a jumper from senior Chance Groce  put the visitors back up by three.

Linden junior LA Walker scored nine of his points in the quarter powered his Panthers through to take a 20-19 lead after the first frame. 

Senior Shamarion Rogers, who had the freshest shoes on the court, went on a personal 5-0 run to start the second by draining a three-pointer and making a lay-up after that to stretch the lead to 25-19, Rogers finished the game with 11.

A basket from Lyles ended the run from Rogers and began the climb back for Beechcroft. Junior guard JJ Simmons hit a three while getting fouled then sank the free throw, giving him a four-point play to tie the game at 27.

Senior Demetrious Forte scored his only basket to give the Cougars their first lead of the game at 29-27 but the Panthers fought back and after a couple of Travis Foster buckets, who finished with 10 points, Linden went into the break up 33-32 over Beechcroft. Simmons scored all of his 13 points in the first half, including three triples to keep the home team in the game. 

After intermission, the roles were reversed as Beechcroft got this quarter started off by going on an 8-2 run as junior Antwoin Reed Jr. began to get going on the block and Lyles began to flex his muscle on the glass. Simmons hit Lyles to up 46-42, which was followed up by Linden’s junior point guard LB Towns sinking a three-pointer to go into the final frame down by one, 46-45, and setting up what was an exciting fourth quarter. 

As the final frame progressed, the young men on the court continued to make plays and apply pressure, going blow for blow with both sides hitting clutch shots.

Lyles' 5-0 start to the fourth extended the Cougar lead to 51-45 before Linden began to fight their way back. Another couple scores from Reed Jr. and the home team went up 55-51 with just under 3:40 left in the game.

Lyles was fouled and went to the line where he knocked in one of two to give the home team a 59-56 lead, until Walker nailed a three to tie the game up. Javo Jordan missed the front end of the one-and-one which game LB Towns the opportunity to hit a tough floater in the lane for the lead. With the Panthers needing one more stop, it was the junior superstar Amani Lyles who drained the game-winning three off the JJ Simmons assist to give Beechcroft the 62-61 win. 

Unbeaten Beechcroft look to go 7-0 on Wednesday when they travel to Northland with the north division title on the line while Linden will regroup and go to Gahanna Lincoln Tuesday for an intriguing matchup.

Only Linden’s starters scored, with all of them in double-digits and LA Walker leading them with 16, followed by LB Towns with 14. 

For Beechcroft, Lyles led all scorers with 20 points. Simmons added 13 points, all of which in the first half. Reed Jr. had a great second half, finishing with 10 points. 

Amani Lyles (6’7 F / Beechcroft / 2022): The best overall prospect on the court Monday evening, Lyles started off slow only scoring four first half points while missing a bunch of easy baskets around the rim that he usually makes with his eyes closed. All that changed in the fourth quarter as he snapped out of it and scored 12 of his game-high 20 points in the final frame while pulling down at least 11 rebounds. Amani found ways to affect the game with his rebounding while he was not scoring, an important lesson for all younger players. His fourth quarter is a shining example of not being able to keep good players down for too long, Linden had him in control for three quarters and then his will and persistence paid off in the end in a bit of poetic justice as he drained the game-winning shot. 

Chance Groce (6’6 WF / Linden-McKinley / 2021): Although he only scored 10 points, he defended at a high level, mainly guarding Amani Lyles and making him work for all his baskets in the first three quarters. He blocked two of Lyles' shots in the second quarter and rebounded at a pretty high clip. Groce drew the assignment of guarding Simmons and did an excellent job, as his length, lateral quickness and athleticism helped him hold Simmons scoreless in the second half. His offense was smooth and effortless, showing the ability to knock down jump shots and get to the rim. Groce also dished out a couple of assists, putting his passing abilities on display. I would have loved to see him a bit more aggressive in the fourth quarter because he is probably the best one-on-one player in the Panther line-up. Overall, Groce played a productive and unselfish game on both ends of the court.

Antwoin Reed Jr. (6'5 PF / Beechcroft / 2022): The thick post had a tremendous second half, powering Beechcroft with important interior scoring. Reed Jr. is a strong finisher inside, as he has a soft touch and can even stretch the floor to the mid-range. The junior has soft hands, is a strong interior defender and provides the Cougars with much needed rebounding. While Lyles and Simmons get the bulk of the praise for Beechcroft, Reed Jr. is an important part of this junior class who helps the Cougars reach their peak when he is playing to his potential. 

Shamarion Rogers (6’4 G / Linden-McKinley / 2021): Another young man who played really impressive defense on Monday evening. Rogers drew the assignment of mainly guarding Lyles and he really did a great job in the game, forcing two steals and not allowing Lyles anything easy inside. The senior moves laterally extremely well and does not allow ball handlers to get past him. He had two steals as well, getting his team easy transition buckets. Offensively, Rogers nailed two triples and hit a couple tough mid-range jumpers. His toughness is one of a kind, this young man plays hard and can change the outlook of a game with his defensive abilities. 

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