Short Man Syndrome sets in for Glendale; Falcons take it out on Hillcrest
Glendale's Cameron Johnson was the best player on the floor - and, yes, Dorial Green played - on Friday in his return from a broken wrist. (Photo by Matt Yaktine, Glendale Quill)
Hillcrest had auto-started the snow plow. It was already warm and Dorial Green was adjusting the rearview mirror. The Ozark Conference was settled after the Hornets handled Kickapoo, but then in a shocking turn of events, Glendale – with sophomore Cameron Johnson back in the fold from injury- tossed a giant wrench into the system with a dominating, 72-53, rout of the Hornets on Friday at Hillcrest. It raised several questions, but solidified what Glendale coach Sean Williamson told me on Wednesday, regarding his team’s lack of size. “As much as we have to worry about matching up with (opponent’s post players), they have the same match-up problems with our speed.” Initially it seemed like optimistic coach talk, but the Falcons proved that speed and ball-handling can overwhelm size and to a certain extent talent.
Glendale’s guards were downright nasty on defense. They forced 22 turnovers, mostly before Hillcrest was even able to get the ball in the half-court, frustrating guard Taylor Sade to no end, while giving the ball up just 11 times themselves. The story leading into the game was the battle of the sophomores Green and Johnson. While Green was the most talented player on the floor, he was clearly outplayed by Johnson for the bulk of the night. It appeared to be mostly an issue of desire. Though Dorial finished with another monster game – 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks – most came when Williamson took the luxury of letting Johnson rest his broken wrist.
Johnson scored 18 points with 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks, but it was another Glendale sophomore – Blake Freedman – for whom the Hornets had no answer. Freedman scored 22 points as the Falcons put together a pair of mind-numbing runs (15-0 in the second quarter and 17-2 in the third) to open their O.C. schedule 1-0 (8-4 overall). It was Hillcrest’s first conference loss (2-1, 8-3 overall).
Other notes and implications, bullet-point style:
* Glendale may not have much length, but they have guards for days. I lost count of how many guys Williamson ran onto the floor, but none were very tall, all could guard and they were fast. The biggest asset they have are their hands, in terms of handling the ball and creating turnovers. They can take chances at getting steals, because there are so damn many of them with the same relative set of skills that if they pile up some fouls, there’s somebody else promptly pulling his shooting shirt and tapping the scorer’s table.
* Each coach picked up a technical, but when they were whistled is very telling of how the game went. Williamson’s came early with his team gathering momentum (the Falcons trailed 12-11 after the first quarter); Hillcrest’s John Schaefer got tee’d up late when he was clearly frustrated and things were unraveling further – although the call in question appeared very questionable.
* Just a quick mention of a monstrous steal-and-dunk by Green with about a minute to play in the first quarter. When Dorial cocked back (all the way back, I think the foundation of the entire school might have shifted) and hammered home to give the Hornets a 10-7 lead, I thought Hillcrest was going to run away with it. There was little doubt in my mind.
* The Falcons scored 46 points in the second half. The next full schedule of Friday basketball, let’s play this game – flip through the box scores and count how many teams score that many total. I’m looking forward to playing that game. With 72 points, Glendale’s team-scoring average took a dip. They were averaging 74 points per game going in – although, I guess Williamson did say he thought that number would drop once conference play began.
* Trey Starks rebounded for his new teammates during pre-game warmups – directly in front of the Glendale student section which showered their former classmate with a (maybe unfair) chant of “TRAITOR”. The chant didn’t last long, and once the Falcons were in control, the crowd forgot Starks was on the other bench altogether. In the back of my mind I hoped the game would be postponed, so he could have suited up. He appears to be in excellent shape, though. As the Hornets went to huddle he stood under the bucket flat-footed, bent his knees and flushed with two hands (well, without touching the rim, but I imagined what it would have been like were there no technical foul for pre-game dunks). Remember, he’s listed at 5-9 … 5-freaking-9.
* It was fantastic to see the place packed, especially with 7-degree weather and awful road conditions. The place was electric despite the final margin, Hillcrest made a little run to start the fourth quarter and the gym was going bonkers (that is, if a gym can go bonkers).
If you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, or complaints, get at Allen (Allen@TAGSGF.com). He enjoys the mail, but if you want to contact me – drop a line to Brett@TAGSGF.com.
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Good article. The difference between the two teams right now? You said it, Allen: desire. Glendale plays hard the entire game for every game….no matter who the opponent is. Hillcrest seems to coast through games and lose intensity for long stretches. The Hornets are definitely longer and more athletic, but they don’t bring that same intensity to the floor for 32 minutes like the Falcons do. Glendale’s full court press is very effective, and it turned out to be the difference against a team with a back court that struggles handling the ball. Glendale is used to playing frantic all game, Hillcrest is not. That’s the difference. Desire, execution, and want to.
»ProfileSorry, I meant Brett, not Allen.
»ProfileHaha – it’s OK. I’ll let it slide this time.
You’re absolutely right about the frantic pace. It’s relentless. If somebody unfamiliar with the expectations out of that game was watching, there’s no question they would have thought Glendale was the team getting hyped all year.
Thanks for reading.
»Profile