Let’s take a look at the boys opening day of games for the SAC Holiday Tourney.
#8 Concordia vs. #9 Northrop, 10:45 a.m.
The Cadets have one of the best players in the SAC in Brayden Pearson (19.5 pts/game ). He already has two game winning shots under his belt and can score in a variety of ways. The key for the Cadets will be the the supporting cast and whether they can hit open shots on the drive and kick. Also, the turnover issues that have plagued them in the early season must be rectified against the pressure D from Northrop. Northrop has had to replace a lot from a year ago but do have the players to make a run in the tourney. They are lead by Khamani Smith, who started his HS career as a “shooter” but has become and all around player in his junior year. Also, I’m being told Qualen Pettus will be back from injury which will add a key piece to the Bruin puzzle. For Northrop, I believe the key will be their defensive presence in the half court sets. They are tremendous when on the run but need to lock into those long possessions.
Match-up to look out for: Evan Minger (Concordia) and Qualen Pettus (Northrop)
#7 Bishop Dwenger vs. #10 North Side, 2:15 p.m.
Dwenger goes as point guard Brenden Lytle (12 pts/game) goes. With their 2nd leading scorer, Owen
Shively (9 pts/game), out with an injury the rest of the roster will all need to take a step to win and advance. They do have some pieces in Braden Groves, Hunter Burns and CJ Pieper that can fill the void but the key will be rebounding as they will be undersized compared to much of the SAC. North Side is still rebuilding and a work in progress but the roster is becoming better by the day. They rely heavily on Rodney Woods but have Isiah Moore to help on the offensive end w/ his slashing ability. The key with North Side will be on the defensive end where they cant allow Dwenger easy shots at the rim.
Match-up to look out for: Brenden Lytle (Dwenger) and Rodney Woods (North Side)
#4 Carroll vs. #5 South Side, 5:45 p.m.
Carroll has had a strong start to the season, led by Jalen Jackson’s 18.5 pts/game and Richie Gross’ 11 pts/game. The all around play of Jackson has been a game changer for Marty Beasley but this will be his 1st SAC Holiday tourney experience which can be overwhelming for a young sophomore. The key for Carroll will be on the defensive glass and to limit South Side to one shot per possession. South Side has a tremendous one two punch in the backcourt with Kam’ron Mitchell (19.7 pts/game) and Austin Jordan (17 pts/game). The difference in the wins for South Side has been the rebounding prowess of Jaylen Lattimore (8.3 reb/game). Add the return of Ashton Johnson to the lineup and the Archers are becoming deeper at the right time.
Match-up to look out for: Richie Gross (Carroll) and Jaylen Lattimore (South Side)
Boys Bracket
[mstw_tourney_bracket tourney=’2019-boys-sac-holiday-basketball-tournament-bracket’]
