Chargers win battle of Catholics

Moreland brothers score 44 in easy win

By Andrew Bolton

5 February 2008

greatlakeshoops.com

Flint--The other end of a home-and-home with Saginaw Nouvel broke up the Big Nine slate for the Powers Chargers tonight.

Last year, these two met in a classic that Powers won by two points, surviving a huge game from former Nouvel star Tim Ryan. This year, no Tim Ryan for the Panthers spelled disaster almost from the beginning.

Nouvel suffered from terrible guard play from the opening tip and from the first quarter on was never really in the game. Powers takes this game in surprisingly easy fashion, winning 79-65.

NCC’s game plan was evident from the outset. They were constantly pushing the tempo in order to try to beat Powers down the floor on offense to hopefully get easy baskets in transition. And for one period, this strategy worked for the most part. Both teams were very sloppy in the first period, but Powers didn’t appear ready for the pace of the Panthers coming out of the gate. NCC led 14-12 after one.

It didn’t take Powers long to get their bearings, however.

The Chargers opened the second period with a 7-0 run, and Nouvel would never see the lead again. Powers led 29-22 going into the break.

After halftime, Nouvel continued to push the tempo, but Powers was just too good. The lead quickly swelled to double digits as NCC repeatedly turned the ball over, leading to multiple transition baskets for Powers. The Chargers would take a comfortable 12-point lead into the fourth period, and Nouvel would get no closer. The last quarter was a formality as Powers at one point extended the lead to 20.

Game and Player Notes

–Stat of the Game: Starting Backcourts: Powers (Morelands)–44 points    NCC (Sparks, Wolohan)–12 points

–It’s a little odd that Powers would run out of rosters when almost no one was there to see the game. Entire sections of the bleachers were completely empty, which I thought to be very odd considering NCC really gave them a game last year.

–Powers was led by the usual suspects. Tyler Moreland, newly committed to Davenport University, led with a brilliant all-around game tonight, tallying 20 points, three boards, four assists and five steals. Brother Shane Moreland had a game-high 24 points, three rebounds and four steals. Patrick Lucas-Perry had another great game, with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Pat O’Brien added 11 rebounds and four assists. Everyone who played for Powers played well, with one notable exception: Xavier Walker struggled mightily after turning in an excellent performance against Davison on Friday. He had six points and two blocks tonight, but he missed all his free throws, airballed two or three shots from inside five feet, and committed lots of turnovers. He also blew a dunk in the fourth quarter. The fans wanted him to succeed, but he looked completely out of sorts. I think he is crucial to how the Chargers fare in the playoffs, so I hope he turns it around quickly.

–Charles Sparks picked up two fouls in the first three minutes of the game, relegating him to the bench for the rest of the half. Nouvel never recovered. When he came back on, Powers had all the momentum and fire, and it was too late for the Panthers. While the score was not lopsided during Sparks’s absence, the gameplay was, as the Chargers’ talented backcourt tore up NCC’s less capable crew. Outside of Sparks, Nouvel has maybe one quality ballhandler. They have no post presence outside of Jared Rahpin. They have no shooters outside of Mitch Mulcahy. This is just a slightly above-average team, which is surprising considering the talent of those three and their top-flight coach. I don’t blame Coach Wood for trying to make up the talent difference by doing something a little different, but he just doesn’t have the guards to push the basketball like they tried to do tonight. It was especially tough considering they were going against the Moreland tandem who are among the best in the state at their positions. There was one curious decision that hurt the Panthers as well: as Powers was expanding the lead in the third quarter, Rahpin was on the bench almost the entire time. I don’t care if you were experimenting with a certain lineup or whatever; when the game is being decided, you need your best players on the floor.

--Once Powers adjusted to the up-and-down tempo, NCC did not make any adjustments in response. They continued to try to press the action and they continually paid for it. Neither team got back in transition defense very well in the first quarter and a half, but eventually Powers did. NCC never did. That’s on the coaches and players; neither one made sure they had someone watching back when a shot went up. That is a cardinal sin against any team, much less one as good as the Chargers.

–With all that said, look for Nouvel to go far in the Class C playoffs. There are some tough teams in C this year (BV, CCC, Bath, etc.) but few can match the top three players from NCC. Mitch Mulcahy really struggled from the outside tonight, but still managed four threes in totaling 19 points. He also contributed three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Jared Rahpin had 14 points and seven boards. He flashed a solid all-around game, stepping out and hitting 15-footers to go along with some nice moves inside. He is a solid big man. Charles Sparks is the one that intrigued me the most, however. He had nine points, four boards, and three assists, along with some bad plays resulting from trying to go one-on-five too many times. But he is a legit 6'2" with long arms, good athleticism, and a wicked handle. No one on Powers could guard him one-on-one. Now, credit Powers for playing good team defense and not allowing him an easy path to the basket, but this is a player to watch and make no mistake. He needs to cut down on the mental gaffes, but he will be very good when all is said and done.

–It’s tough enough to drive on the roads when you can see all the potholes. But when they are invisible, it’s even tougher. Neither Josh Glitz (who took the pictures tonight) nor I saw the pothole that took out one of the tires on his car. Putting the spare on in the snow and sleet was not very fun, but he got it on before too long. The things we go through to bring you guys the news!