Swung by Trinity Episcopal School for some mid-week action last night! Many recognize the Titans as one of the top teams in the Richmond area; they now sit at 5-0 after Wednesday night’s victory. Matched up against Central Virginia Homeschool (6-2), they made it loud and clear how they plan to keep defending their home floor.
Final Score:
Trinity Episcopal – 78
Central Virginia Homeschool – 55
Game Notes
- Both teams came out of the gate in an immediate rhythm! TES moved the ball especially well in the first half to find open perimeter shots against CVAHS’ 2-3 zone look. The Titans couldn’t miss from beyond the arc early in the game; they continued their hot streak a little longer compared to the visiting CVAHS lineup.
- CVAHS has some shooters on their roster but looked best in their production around the rim. Head coach Crystal Goad has seven ladies on the roster who stand above 5’7,” so I’m sure she acknowledges how using size to their advantage can bring satisfactory results throughout this season.
- The Titans’ team rebounding got better and better as the game progressed. Once the third quarter arrived, the players were everywhere on the glass. This such effort played a big reason as to how they increased their lead by a large margin in the third quarter. Consistent focus on box-outs will need to improve for CVAHS.
- The energy of CVAHS’ group as a unit looked impressive. All of their players, whether on the court or not, always showed enthusiasm and encouragement. That intangible will get them very far in the future.
- Both teams struggled with turnovers in spurts. I definitely noticed this in the third quarter, which began pretty sloppy. CVAHS will need to work on protecting the ball against traps or on-ball pressure. Their players do well in moving to get open but this obviously proves no good if the ball can’t be delivered against hard-nosed defenses.
Wednesday Evening Standouts
Angel Burgos ’19 – TES: The University of Richmond commit showed the most overall skill out of any player in the contest. Burgos plays as a combo guard who does really well at skipping passes over half-court defenses to create opportunities for her teammates. She can make some nifty passes in transition as well; her feel for the game made everything look so easy. When she decided to seek her own shot, nothing could stop her from getting the looks she wanted. Burgos simply DOMINATED the second half. Her mid-range pullup looked deadly and she has nice body control to take it to the lane and finish through defenders. The final result was the first triple-double of her career: 24 points (a game-high), 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Kristin Mentzer ’20 – CVAHS: Playing as the main lead guard for the Patriots, Mentzer did a nice job in putting her teammates in positions to score. She showed patient play, all the necessary assets of a floor general, and production on both ends of the floor with her hustle. Her reaction time on defense led to her picking off several of the Titans’ passes for easy transition points. She didn’t look for her own opportunities all that much (which I personally thought she could’ve done a bit more). Still, Mentzer undoubtedly stood out as an important facilitator and rebounder for CVAHS; two things that’ll be valued each and every night.
Kristy Hamze ’20 – TES: Hamze’s activity and aggressiveness to get defenders on their heels jumped out from the very start. It never died down until she subbed out of the game for good in the fourth quarter. I’d say she appeared as the best overall athlete on the court; her quickness off the dribble and ability to draw contact worked better than anybody else. She gave CVAHS trouble if they didn’t protect the ball strongly. In the second half, she really start to cause some havoc on the defensive end, which turned into most of the Titans’ offense. I definitely see Hamze making her claim as one of the top 2020 prospects in the 804 really soon. She tied with Burgos for a game-high 24 points.
Kaylie Goad ’21 – CVAHS: The young scoring guard came onto the floor as the Patriots’ best shooter; a threat from anywhere around the perimeter. She caught some serious fire in the second and third quarter from three-point territory. In addition to her shooting prowess, I liked how Goad recognized how to move off of the ball and make it known when she became open. She had full court awareness on offense and made some deflections on defense as well. With still room to grow, I see a lot of potential in the sophomore. She has a solid feel for the game and does different things that coaches can’t teach. Goad poured in a team-high 16 points on the night.
Elaina Chapman ’19 – TES: Also committed to play at the University of Richmond next season with Burgos, the 6’3” Chapman played as a force in the interior all night long. A four-star prospect and the Titans’ all-time leading scorer, the majority of audiences know to always expect a show from the senior leader. She stood out as by far the best rebounder in the gym, grabbing a total of 13 boards on the night; more than anyone else. Her relentlessness in getting second-chance points seemed to exhaust CVAHS’ players once TES seized momentum after the halftime break. Chapman’s footwork and power around the rim simply gave the Patriots too much to handle, as she finished with a pretty easy 15 points. After landing a spot on the first team all-Metro list this past March, I’m confident Chapman will have voters strongly considering her as a ‘Player of the Year’ candidate in the next several months. Purely dominant.
On to the next one!