Foss vs Mt. Tahoma

This was a fantastic game, after a great start to league play Mt. Tahoma had lost the last two games and needed a win on the road against 1st place Foss. Foss jumped out to a 19-6 lead and Mt. Tahoma had no match for their energy level. Foss' big lead turned out to hurt them as they stopped putting on their passing clinic and individuals decided they needed to score some points. Mt. Tahoma quietly cut the lead to four before half. The second half started as the first ended with Mt. Tahoma jumping ahead. They continued to lead and were up eight with two minutes left. Then Foss put on the pressure and made it a game. They battled back with steals and fast layups to tie it at 58 and send it to overtime. In the end the difference was the outstanding second half and overtime performance of Mt. Tahoma sophomore Xavier Bazile and the poor outside shooting from Foss. Mt. Tahoma won by eight. Player comments:

Foss
#33 LuQuam Thompson -5-10 SR Very quick little pt. guard, athletic and strong. Was a solid ball handler that kept his balance and his head up. Rarely turned the ball over and was the go to guy when they needed a bucket. Great defender that constantly hustled, took high percentage shots and got to the foul line, always made the pass when his teammate was open. Needs to work on finishing in the lane. Had 18 pts and 7rbs. Low DI

#2 Nate Walker -6-6 SR Athletic long 4, a bit thin and could get stronger. Can dunk off of two feet and finishes well around the basket. Runs well has good post moves and a nice 10ft and in jumper. Can really get up and grab boards, had a couple nice blocks. Needs to improve his shooting, missed a lot of big FT's. High DII, maybe low DI

#1 Jonathan Payne -6-6 SR Mobile, strong, undersized post. Runs the floor well and posts up hard. Good rebounder and good finishing ability, blocks shots. Did not see him shoot the ball outside of the low post area. DII

#32 - Jeremy McClain -6-6 SR Another strong, mobile, post. Heavier than Payne and likes to shoot the ball, played high and low post but more high post. Did not see him shoot a lot but has ok form. Made some great high low passes for easy buckets to Payne and Walker. Runs ok and aggressively rebounds and posts. Blocks shots. Lefty. DII

#10 - Julian Cruell -5-10 JR Strong athletic little guard, slightly heavier than Thompson, can handle the ball very well and will run the team next year. Gives them great depth as he could easily be a starter. Very tough on D, cat quick. DII, potential to go higher

#31 - Damari Lewis -5-10 SR - I'm getting repetitive but this is another small, quick, athletic guard. Plays under control and made some big defensive plays late in the game. Hustles and is a good slasher. Had some huge buckets late to cut into Mt. Tahoma's 8 pt lead in final minutes. Good finisher. Ball handling is ok but needs work. Scored 16. DII

Mt. Tahoma
#22 - Rashard Byrd -5-9 SR - Tough, quick little pg. Size was lacking and had a tough time going against Thompson. Good ball handler, ok passer. Has the ability to create and had some very nice finishes in traffic. DII

#11 - Ronald Baines -5-10 SR - Strong combo guard. Ok ball handler but very good 3pt shooter. Made some key shots in the second half but for some reason was on the bench for some key moments in the game. Solid D, very athletic and quick. Good leaping ability. Could be DI if he was more skilled with the ball. DII

#21 - Koloneus McClarron -6-4 SR - Very nice body, athletic strong wing that can handle the ball. Pretty good penetrator and great rebounder from the perimeter. Good athletic ability and defensive ability. Would be DI if he could shoot but he didn't force anything. DII/potentially higher

#23 - Xavier Bazile - 6-4 SO - Absolute athlete and only a sophomore. Had at least 3 dunks, one of which he caught the ball on the low wing, made a shot fake and drove right by his man, the help was late and he went up and threw it down on them. Two dribble drive and dunk. He seemed to be getting all sorts of rebounds and put backs and was basically a 3, 4, and 5 for Mt. Tahoma who does not have anyone taller than him on the team. He needs to work on his defense but if he continues to grow he will be a great college player. Did not see him take many outside shots but he did make his FT's. Had 19pts and 9rbs, Mt. Tahoma does not win without this kid. Mt. Tahoma Mid DI