Cavs escape with win over Northern

C-A responds to second half comeback

By Josh Glitz
29 February 2008

greatlakeshoops.com

Flint-- In a night that pitted the top teams from the city Series and the Big Nine in three separate districts finals, the top team in the Big 9--the Cavaliers of Flint Carman Ainsworth--toppled the Flint Northern Vikings 73-65.

The first quarter featured fast-paced action up and down the court as both teams came out in a full court press. The hot shooting of the Vikings set them off to an early lead. The tide turned when sophomore Joemar Black picked up his second foul halfway through the quarter. With Black out, the Cavs mounted a run, leading 17-13 at the end of the quarter.

Carman came out with a quick 8-3 run and really opened up the game. From there, the superior depth of the Cavs allowed them to open up a large lead, up to 14 points at one point.

While both teams were picking up fouls, Carman was able to absorb the blow. With sophomore Demondre Chapman out with foul trouble for most of the half, junior Terrance Keaton stepped in and played huge in the first half. Keaton punctuated the Carman half with a steal and dunk on the break in the final minute of the half.

Northern was forced to go to the bench as both Joemar Black and Sam Morgan were in foul trouble. The subs were simply not able to keep up with the Cavaliers. Carman took a twelve point lead, 39-27 into the half.

I was interested to see how the second half would shape up. Each time I had seen Northern this year they had strong second halves. While they were down, they were certainly not out.

Northern made a prophet out of me as they opened the third quarter on a 17-3 run. They were able to hold the Cavs without a field goal until the 2:40 mark when Chapman put in an easy lay-up which tied the game at 44-44.

By the end of the third, the score was 49-46 in favor of Carman-Ainsworth.

Northern was able to stick close for most of the fourth until mental lapses in transition and bringing the ball up caught up with them. They were able to trim the lead to three on multiple occasions, but each time Carman answered with a basket.

In the end the experience of the Cavaliers prevailed, earning them the right to play Saginaw High Monday at Flint Northern.

Game Notes

--Northern is going to be a dangerous team next year. If they are able to win the petition to get Michael Martin eligible, they should be the early favorites to win the city series. Martin and Joemar Black are quite the combo. They also have some good size coming up from the younger ranks.

--Michael Martin is a tough matchup. He is long and athletic and a simply tough player. Able to finish at the rim as well as hit the mid range jumper, he is only lacking a steady 3-point shot on offense. He hustles on D, and his length bothers everyone he guards. He simply is a great utility player, as he can do it all. With Black out for most of the first half, he took the team on his shoulders and kept them in the game with 14 first half points. He finished the game with 19 points.

--Joemar Black is the best prospect in Flint right now. The sophomore has no weakness in his game, and truly is a mini Kevin Tiggs, even when in comes to how he looks. Black has the capability to take games over when needed. After sitting for the entire second quarter, he started the third quarter run with three quick baskets. He had 13 second half points and 16 in total. He has quite the future ahead of him if he continues to develop.

--The one thing that the Vikings will work most on this off-season? I wouldn’t be surprised if it is free throw shooting. They shot an abysmal 3-14 in the first half and finished the game 7-19. If they could hit free throws, they could have won this game.

--Dee Chapman had a huge second half for the Cavaliers. He was a dominant force inside and flashed his immense ability. Chapman had 17 points in limited minutes as he was in foul trouble for almost the entire game. Carman is going to need a big game from Chapman and his front court mates if they are going to have a shot at winning on Monday.

--Terrance Keaton did a great job holding down the fort with Chapman out in the first half. Not an overwhelming athlete like Chapman, Keaton more than makes up for it with instinct and his quick jumping ability. He also supplies great passion for the game and makes sure his team stays focused. While he did not play great in the second half, without his effort in the first half, Carman does not win this game. He finished with nine points.

--Kieon Arkwright and Reggie Stallings played average tonight. They had their normal compliment of jumpers and finishes at the basket, but were not great. They will need great nights if they are to win on Monday. Arkwright finished with seven points and Stallings had 13.

--Jon Lee flourished in the first half. Carman was pressing, and Lee was showing us his potential pushing the ball in transition. Northern simply could not hold him down. He had 14 first half points to lead the way for his team. In the second half Carman stopped pressing and settled back into the 2-3 zone. This not only allowed Northern to crawl back in, but it cooled down their offense. Lee never was able to regain the flow he had in the first half, and finished 20 points. While he cooled down he still had a huge impact as his defense was the main reason behind the surge to close the game. In a season which has been somewhat disappointing for Lee, he reminded us why he is a D-1 player tonight. Great game Jon.

--Again, Carman is going to need to play great to win on Monday. Tonight they were able to rely on experience to pull out the game in the end. Saginaw is even more experienced, so this advantage is no longer there. In the first half they used their defense to create offense, which is going to need to happen again. Sitting back in a 2-3 zone against the High is going to be as successful as it was tonight. Few teams are better in the half court than Saginaw, and they will pick apart the zone. They will need a great effort to keep the game close and to have a shot at winning.