Matt Davis

The Word Outta Wyncote Basketball '11 Return to TedSilary.com Home Page   Matt Davis, a junior, stars in soccer and academics at Albright College, and while attending McDevitt he also started in basketball and covered Lancer football for this website. Matt is the oldest of three brothers and one of them, Colin, now plays basketball for Wood.   We thank Matt for his efforts!   Matt may be reached at bigblue142001@yahoo.com.

JAN. 9
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Wood 60, West 53
  I’m glad I got out of the house to go and watch this Sunday tilt between the Vikings (8-3, 2-0) and Burrs (2-7, 0-2). Before the game, Wood Coach Jack Walsh presented franchise guard Joe Getz with a game ball for his 40-point performance in the season opener that set a school record. So much for that game ball . . . Getz proceeded to put on a show and finished the afternoon with a new school record of 41 points. His final free-throw of the game with 1:03 left allowed him to hit this mark as well as 1,000 overall for his career. I wonder if a single-game scoring record and a 1,000th point have ever been registered on the same basket? Maybe this is another record that Getz holds? The 6’0 senior put Wood on his back once again while using a couple long jumpers and a few fadeaway jumpers mixed in with mostly top-of-the-key drives to the basket. On one possession, a Burrs defender stated to his teammates “I got him” before Getz used the blow-by and finished at the rim. My dad then whispered, “I’m not sure he knows what that means.” It was that kind of day for the West defense in trying to cover Getz.
  (Wood assistant Blair Klumpp reports that Joe shot 15-for-22 from the floor (1-for-3 on treys) and 10-for-14 at the line. Also, he scored all 25 of Wood's second-half points.)
  The Burrs hung in after an early Wood lead and found themselves down by just one after the first quarter. The Vikings would open things up, however, and remove almost all doubt of the outcome in the second quarter. Wood outscored West 19-6 in the frame with the help of forward Shane Neher (5 points, 9 rebounds) and the aforementioned Getz. The Burrs continued to fight the rest of the way, but every time they got within striking distance Getz found a way to get a timely bucket.
  Getz (41 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals) did it on the defensive end as well with a pogo-stick jumping ability that allowed him to intercept passing lanes and come down with rebounds. His record day came with the help of some big screens set by freshman center Joe LoStracco and Neher. LoStracco is one to watch. He understands the game very well. He got solid positioning to earn post feeds but was rarely looked to for scoring. With some polish and added agility, he could become a major force down the road. Neher, the power forward and only a sophomore, gives Wood another dimension on offense as he can shoot the jumper and handle the ball against pressure. Getz’ backcourt mate Kyle Adkins (7 points) is the ultimate “little-things” player that makes his mark on the defensive end.
  West was ultimately plagued by too many turnovers, and many were of the unforced variety. The Burrs also have no true outside shooting presence, and their main strength came on slashes to the basket and the offensive glass. Jaleel Reed (24 points) and Cristian Gibbs (11 points) were the only two Burrs to finish in double figures. Reed uncorked two dunks on the fastbreak and consistently found a way to get in the lane/on the glass to finish. Gibbs' buckets were mostly of the pull-up variety. Though the Burrs really got after it on the glass, Sahmir Thomas (6 points) was the closest West had to any hint of a post player.
Games Notes
-I’ve been to three Wood games thus far and it amazes me that no one has tried a junk defense (box and 1, face guard) against Getz. All three teams I’ve watched played man-to-man against him even though he’s the Vikings 1A option, 1B option, etc.  
-Boy am I glad I played Getz three years ago when he was only a freshman. He still dropped double-figure points back then.
-Little brother Colin Davis is a junior guard for Wood. He played about five minutes in varsity action and recorded two rebounds.
-West may be in for a long season after the departure of Drexel recruit Aquil Younger. The Burrs lack a point guard to control game/tempo and many of the guys who see action for Coach Guy Moore are similar (wing-type players/athletes.)

JAN. 7
CATHOLIC LEAGUE
Roman 56, McDevitt 54

  After seeing that Ted attended the Ryan-Wood game on Friday night, I commented to a few friends that he made a big mistake, even though its one he can't be blamed for. McDevitt (8-2, 0-1) came into this Catholic league opener against Roman Catholic (7-3, now 2-0) as a heavy underdog to one of the city's all-time powerhouses. However, the Lancers have been rejuvenated with the closings of Dougherty and North, while Roman is facing a down year in terms of experience/overall talent. With a packed house (easily most people I've ever seen for a McDevitt home game), the Lancers gave the Cahillites all they could handle.
  We'll zoom right to the end of the game. After having just tied up the game, McDevitt Coach Jack Rutter refused to waver and stayed in a 2-3 zone that Roman had been struggling against throughout the second half. This allowed Roman Coach Chris McNesby to wind the clock down from 45 seconds to 17 before calling a timeout to draw up a final shot. Coming out of the huddle, the Lancers went man-to-man and Roman junior guard Montana Mayfield (8 points) ended up with an iso at the top of the key. He used a spin move and pulled up from inside the foul line. However, his jumper fell short and into the hands of McDevitt's Ryan Leaks, who immediately called timeout with a 56-56 tie and 1.8 seconds left on the clock. Following the timeout, Brahieme Jackson, who had been brilliant all evening, committed a costly error when he threw the ball out of bounds on the inbounds pass as he tried to hit a streaking Leaks. After Rutter called timeout in order to regroup his team, Roman executed their inbounds play and guard Shafeek Taylor sealed his man under the basket before depositing the game-winning layup.
  Taylor (19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) led Roman all night long as a quiet-but-effective player. The only other player finishing in double figures for the Cahillites was freshman guard Shep Garner (10 points), who is very explosive and gets after it on the defensive end. Fortunat "Junior" Kangudi, a Division 1 recruit and Roman’s only true inside player, ended with 6 points and 7 boards but was plagued with foul trouble. Especially against smaller players. Kangudi needs to learn that at times he doesn’t even need to jump. His height and presence alone was enough to alter the Lancers’ shots.
  McDevitt was led throughout the game by Jackson, (20 points, 12 rebounds) Leaks, and Kenyatta Long. Jackson is the type of player who lulls a defender to sleep before stepping out and to score or finishing at the rim. Offensively, the 6'2 forward gave Kangudi fits all night with an assortment of moves. Defensively, he was able to snatch rebounds by using great positioning and timing. Leaks (13 points, 7 rebounds) gives the Lancers an outside shooting threat. He hit three triples and rimmed out on number four with about three minutes to play that may have made the gym erupt. Long (6 points, 8 assists, 5 steals) continually left Roman defenders in the dust to find the paint and create offense. At one point in the second quarter, McNesby looked in disgust to his coaches while saying, “We can’t stop him. We can’t stop him.”
Game Notes