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Granville 49, Watkins Memorial 33 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Andy Hoben, 12/15/18, 10:40PM EST

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Behind strong team offense and defense, Granville notches first LCL victory

PATASKALA, Ohio -- Going into their first taste of LCL action, the Blue Aces of Granville knew that they would have to play solid defense both inside and out to take care of Watkins’ leading scorers, senior point guard Ethan Stearns and junior big man Marcus Peaks, in order to secure a victory. 

As the game clock read zero in Granville’s 49-33 win over the Warriors, so too did the combined scoring total of both Stearns and Peaks; the Blue Aces had done their job. 

In all fairness, Granville did get some unforeseen help in their quest to shut down the Warriors leading duo, as Peaks did not play in the game due to an injury. However, their tough zone defense, able to stretch itself out to the three point line with the absence of Peaks in the middle, held Stearns and his 12 point a game scoring average to a zero point performance. Their solid defense throughout coupled with timely transition scoring and a methodical sharing of the ball in the half-court pushed the Aces to their first league victory of the young season. 

The game started slowly on offense for both teams to the tune of an 11-8 score at the end of the first quarter, with Granville being sparked by junior guard Jake Stone, scoring the team’s first seven points of the game on a three and two smooth mid-range pull ups. 

Granville extended their lead in the second quarter on the back of sophomore big man Will Skerbetz’s eight hard-fought points in the paint off the bench. After the relative offensive lull of the first quarter, starting junior guard Dominic Varrasso got the team fired up with a strong finish and call on a layup, leading to an energetic celebration and and-one conversion that gave the Aces momentum leading into the half. Watkins was not able to find a way around Granville’s zone defense in the first half and again was held to eight points in the second quarter, paced by junior guard Reece McNeely and his five points, resulting in a 27-16 Blue Aces lead going into the break. 

In the second half, the Warriors looked to rely on their outside shooting in order to break the Aces zone, but without a true post, and with Stearns’ shots not falling, they again were held to just eight points in the third quarter. However, the Aces offense also ran dry in the third as they were held to just seven, shaving their lead from 11 to 10 and making the score going into the final period 34-24. Junior Justin Pidock of Watkins and junior Brody Ley of Granville both dropped in three pointers for their respective teams in the third.

The beginning of the fourth quarter was the decisive stretch for both teams as Watkins looked to make a comeback, and for a minute it looked like they might do just that. Early in the fourth, Pidock canned a three to cut it to a seven point game, but sophomore Jaden Rudder’s quick response with a triple of his own pushed the lead back out to 10, and from there on it would only grow for the Aces.

While McNeely of Watkins added to his solid performance in the fourth quarter with a couple steals and lay-ins in a late attempt to test the Aces, Ley’s and-one with 3:55 left in the game put the game away for good and pushed the lead out to 16. The Aces held strong for the final stretch of the game and won with a final score of 49-33 over the Warriors. 

Watkins was led in scoring and rebounding by McNeely, who finished with 11 points to go along with six boards. Junior classmate Pidock put together a strong second half and finished with eight points, including two threes. The Warriors fall to 2-4 on the season and 2-1 in LCL play.

Ley led Granville with 11 points, including two threes, and was closely followed by Stone and senior Cam Crouch’s nine points each. Crouch also had a monster game on the glass with nine boards. The junior Varrasso and the sophomore Skerbetz each added eight points, with Varrasso tallying two assists and rebounds each and Skerbetz hauling in four rebounds himself. The Blue Aces start off LCL play with a road win and push their overall record to 3-1. 


Jake Stone (6’0 CG / Granville / 2020): Stone had 20 points in their win vs. Whetstone last week and was looking to continue his strong season against Watkins: he did not disappoint. Stone set the tone for the Blue Aces in this game with the team’s first seven points and pushed them out to a lead they never looked back from. The junior was aggressive from the tip, taking the ball to the hole for a floater within the first five seconds of the game and knocking down a three on the next possession, flashing his growing confidence as a focal point of the Granville offense. While Stone is a gifted spot-up and pull-up shooter with an incredibly smooth stroke, he is a pass-first guard and is given most of the responsibility to set-up and run Granville’s offensive and defensive sets as lead guard. Stone is a deceptively long defender and is an all-around heady player on both ends, and will look to lead the Aces through his efficient offensive and defensive play throughout the season. 

Brody Ley (6’3 WG / Granville / 2020): Ley came off the bench for the Aces and wound up being their leading scorer, a testament to his offensive confidence no matter what role he is in. Ley is a knock-down three point shooter who can and will pull up from any spot on the court and is always looking for an opening to get his shot off; additionally, Ley will look to drive if he has the chance and has the ability to finish at a high rate off of spins into the paint and highly contested paint looks off of cuts. Ley is the kind of player that is able to drop spurts of points on teams in a short period of the game due to shooting ability and an overall aggressive offensive game. Look for the junior to be one of the premier shooters in the area and most certainly the Licking County League. 

Cameron Crouch (6’2 WF / Granville / 2019): Crouch is (generously) listed at two inches over six-foot, but plays as one of the biggest players on the court no matter who he is lined up against due to his gritty play on the offensive and defensive boards throughout the entire game, illustrated by his nine rebounds against Watkins. The senior, the LCL player of the year and All-Ohioan in football at quarterback, is back in the Granville starting lineup after not playing as a junior to focus on football and is a vital piece to this Aces squad lacking experience at the forward position. Crouch also uses his physicality on offensive to cash in on strong takes to the hoop and convert athletic finished in transition, and also can drop in the occasional jumper. Crouch will continue his return campaign to the hardwood as a senior leader and glue-guy for this Granville team. 

Reece McNeely (6’1 CG / Watkins Memorial / 2020): One of the few bright spots for the Warriors was McNeely, who kept the energy up throughout the entirety of the game on both ends of the court even when the Aces were closing it out late. The junior is athletic and smooth with his handle, leading to many buckets in transition and in the half-court from his great finishing ability. McNeely is also an active defender and often looks to get into his man well passed the three point line, resulting in pressure on opposing guards and frequent tipped passes, sometimes even steals. The guard also is active on the boards, as he had five rebounds against the Aces, and looks to get out in transition and lead the fast break whenever possible. McNeely, along with senior Ethan Stearns who had an unusually quiet night, will try to right the ship for the Warriors with guard leadership and playmaking. 

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