Porter-Gaud is looking to get their 4th consecutive State Title and they showed that they’re primed for another championship campaign led by 5 Star Tennesee Signee 6’7 Josiah James. York Prep is in their first year under a new coaching staff, but 6’2 2019 Deuce Dean is still at the helm, providing a high level of toughness with a diverse offensive skillset.
The First Quarter was all Porter-Gaud with Josiah James throwing down a dunk of the year candidate over a couple of helpless defenders. I’ll link the video below, I hope you guys like my reaction. They were incredibly sound on both ends only giving up 6 Points in the entire frame. Porter-Gaud Led 13-6 at the end of the first.
The 2nd Quarter the game continued from where it started with Josiah continuing to get in that little baseline spot that he loves, rising up over undersized defenders and knocking in 14 footer after 14 footer. Deuce Dean started to get it rolling a little bit for York Prep, knocking down jumpers and getting to the rack. Tobias Lafayette really got it going for Porter-Gaud as well, he it a deep 3 and finished with 9 points in the first half. Porter-Gaud 30-17 at the break.
The same trends continued into the 2nd half with York Prep struggling offensively outside of Deuce Dean, he was marvelous hitting his jumpers and doing his best to get his guys in the right spots. The role guys on Porter-Gaud really started to step up with Tobias Lafayette, Nicky Schwartz, and others continue to light it up from the perimeter, and just continue to make the right play throughout the period. At the end of the 3rd it was Porter Guad 50, York Prep 30.
The 4th quarter started with Deuce Dean doing whatever he could to get his team back in it, simply willing his way to the basket while never getting out of control in the process. Turner Omarion also got it going for York PrepCutting Porter-Gaud’s lead to six with just under two and a half minutes to play, but it simply wasn’t enough as the lead got way too big early on and it was too much to overcome. Final Score Porter-Gaud 60, York Prep 52
Three Stars of the Game:
1. 6’3 2019 Deuce Dean: York Prep (31 Pts, 7 Reb, 8/14 From the Field, 3/7 From Three, 12/14 From the Line)
Dean flat out took this game over in the 2nd half, he scored 20 points after the intermission and almost led a 20 Point 4th quarter comeback, but it was too much to overcome. Dean has showed major progression on his jumper, looking incredibly comfortable both off the catch and dribble in this outing. He’s shown excellent leadership abilities and should continue to get his team headed in the right direction as the season progresses. He holds offers from Southern Miss, UNC Charlotte, and a few others, expect him to become a hot commodity as some of these spots get filled.
2. 6’7 2019 Josiah James: Porter-Gaud (13 Pts, 9 Reb, 8 Ast)
James was excellent, particularly in the first half where he scored 11 of his 13, in the 2nd half he turned his focus to getting his guys involved, in particular Nicky Schwartz who really got it going in the 2nd half, scoring 12 of his 16 there. He impacted every aspect of the game with his ability to see the floor and attack, finishing with a crazy dunk, a near triple double, and a W.
3. 5’10 2020 Tobias Lafayette: Porter-Gaud (11 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 5/10 From the Field, 1/2 From Three)
Lafayette did an excellent job providing supplemental scoring in this one while also alleviating some of the ball handling duties from Josiah James in spots. He showed that he can contribute to a high level team and should garner some interest from D3s over the next 12 months, he’s another fundamentally sound piece for a really tough Porter-Gaud Squad.
DUNK ALERT: https://twitter.com/Phenom_Hoops/status/1068674405847437312