Dogged out

Hamady bites Bentley in GAC Blue showdown

By Josh Glitz

22 January 2008

greatlakeshoops.com

Burton-- Tonight's game was supposed to be decided by the frontcourt of Bentley and the backcourt of Hamady. While the backcourt play of the Hawks was a big part of the victory, the frontcourt of Hamady certainly did more than its share.

Hard work and hustle helped the Hamady frontcourt overcome its size disadvantage as the Hawks went on to a 71-56 win.

Hamady came out of the gate with more energy and rode it to a 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Bulldogs' post had no answer for Darius Brady, who was simply terrific. In fact, the Bulldogs actually appeared to be a bit sluggish on the court which was rather surprising for such a big game.

Bentley picked it up in the second quarter and was able to cut into the Hawks' lead.

Senior guard Lau’ren Jones led the charge for the Bulldogs. He was able to penetrate at will and was having great success dishing and finishing. The game got close as Bentley tied the game near the end of the half. The Hawks regained their composure and took a 33-27 lead into the half.

The second half was a repeat of the first as Hamady came out strong, built up a lead and was able to maintain it.

While Bentley made it close midway through the fourth quarter, the game was never in doubt. The backcourt woes of Bentley proved too much for them to overcome. It was a well played game, but the superior backcourt of the Hawks swayed the game in their favor.

Game Notes

-          The Bentley backcourt was horrific tonight. While they did not account for all 32 turnovers, they were responsible for most of them.

-          Jones played a good game and showed he belongs in the discussion of the top guards in the GAC. He was able to penetrate at will and should have had more assists than he did. He has no help in the backcourt. In fact, his backcourt mates actually hurt him at times, not giving him any support. It is actually a shame that he isn’t at Carman-Ainsworth anymore. He has grown a lot in the last year and would give Carman another long defender on the perimeter. He finished the game with 14 points and six assists.

-          Another player I felt bad for tonight was Patrick Ellison. He is clearly not at full strength. I give him all the credit in the world for toughing it out this year. He did a great job with his limited mobility due to an ACL injury. It is a shame that he fouled out in his final home game. He finished the game with 15 points and three rebounds.

-          Jermaine Wyatt has a good future. He is strong, athletic and works hard on the glass. This is a great combination. Though he is only 6’1’’, he plays much bigger than that. I look forward to watching him the rest of this year and into next. He finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

-          Bentley could have been a top ten team in the state this season; however, with Aaron Mangham transferring and Ellison getting hurt, it may just be another "what might have been" sort of season for the Bulldogs. With a healthy Ellison and Mangham, this team would be one of the frontrunners in Class C.

-          Hamady has a great backcourt. Roy Jackson, Demarkus Jackson and Brian Echols are all good players. All three have different strengths and compliment each other well. These three were responsible for most of Bentley's turnovers and did a good job running and finishing in transition.

-          Of the three, Demarkus Jackson had the best game tonight. He has a funky release on his jump shot, but it is reliable and he has no problem finishing in traffic. His best trait, however, is his court vision; he made a couple of great passes tonight. He finished the game with 19 points and five assists.

-          The player of the game, however, was Darius Brady. Brady was a force on the offensive glass, coming down with many rebounds over the bigger Bulldogs. He was able to convert most into baskets. He had a monster first half coming in with 14 points and five rebounds. He quieted down a bit in the second, but found other ways to help his team. He finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.