Game of the Week (Tuesday Special) - 01/24/12
By: Ryan Lanigan
Breakdown:
Not only does this game feature the two top teams in the Hock 5 (#1 Stoughton @ #2 King Philip), it features two teams that each received first place votes. And on top of that, it features two of the top three scorers against each other. King Philip’s Jake Layman (23.7 ppg) and Stoughton’s Aaron Calixte (17.7 ppg) will both look to make a strong impact on the game offensively. Beyond the two headliners, there is a lot of talent on both sides. The Warriors took down Stoughton last year but after being able to watch both teams last year and this year, they are both different squads. Expect a large crowd for Tuesday in a small King Philip gym.
Players To Watch:
Everyone is going to be keeping an eye on Calixte and Layman. Something a lot of people might not notice is that two of the best defensive guards will be starting in this game. Stoughton’s Marcus Middleton has consistently stopped opposing teams’ best guards ranging from Burlington’s Connor Gallivan to Sharon’s Brian Mukasa and plenty inbetween. On the other side of the ball is KP's Christian Fair. The lanky guard will have to deal with a backcourt billed as one of the best in the state but I expect him to be up to the challenge. If I had to guess, you could easily see these two guarding each other. At the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Middleton guarding Tykei Hallman with Fair looking to limit Calixte. Other key plays include KP’s John Mullane and Stoughton’s Mauro Oliveira, both capable of breaking out for a game-changing 15 points.
Key Matchup(s):
A lot of people are going to look at Calixte and either Fair or Mike Schmidt as a big match up for this game. But the biggest match up will be Layman and Stoughton center Antonio Ferreira. It’s possible, but I can’t imagine we will see a repeat of last year when Middleton guarded Layman. One of the biggest differences between the Black Knights last year and this year is their defensive presence down low. Ferreira and Layman will constantly be battling for position down low as well as fighting for the edge in rebounding. Expect double-teaming on Layman from Ferreira and Steffan Jackson, who has an incredible reach. A bonus match up to watch is Jackson and KP’s Hallman. Hallman has played with Stoughton’s Middleton and Joe Bunce-Grenon in the AAU circuit so expect some familiarity between the two teams.
Breakdown:
Not only does this game feature the two top teams in the Hock 5 (#1 Stoughton @ #2 King Philip), it features two teams that each received first place votes. And on top of that, it features two of the top three scorers against each other. King Philip’s Jake Layman (23.7 ppg) and Stoughton’s Aaron Calixte (17.7 ppg) will both look to make a strong impact on the game offensively. Beyond the two headliners, there is a lot of talent on both sides. The Warriors took down Stoughton last year but after being able to watch both teams last year and this year, they are both different squads. Expect a large crowd for Tuesday in a small King Philip gym.
Players To Watch:
Everyone is going to be keeping an eye on Calixte and Layman. Something a lot of people might not notice is that two of the best defensive guards will be starting in this game. Stoughton’s Marcus Middleton has consistently stopped opposing teams’ best guards ranging from Burlington’s Connor Gallivan to Sharon’s Brian Mukasa and plenty inbetween. On the other side of the ball is KP's Christian Fair. The lanky guard will have to deal with a backcourt billed as one of the best in the state but I expect him to be up to the challenge. If I had to guess, you could easily see these two guarding each other. At the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Middleton guarding Tykei Hallman with Fair looking to limit Calixte. Other key plays include KP’s John Mullane and Stoughton’s Mauro Oliveira, both capable of breaking out for a game-changing 15 points.
Key Matchup(s):
A lot of people are going to look at Calixte and either Fair or Mike Schmidt as a big match up for this game. But the biggest match up will be Layman and Stoughton center Antonio Ferreira. It’s possible, but I can’t imagine we will see a repeat of last year when Middleton guarded Layman. One of the biggest differences between the Black Knights last year and this year is their defensive presence down low. Ferreira and Layman will constantly be battling for position down low as well as fighting for the edge in rebounding. Expect double-teaming on Layman from Ferreira and Steffan Jackson, who has an incredible reach. A bonus match up to watch is Jackson and KP’s Hallman. Hallman has played with Stoughton’s Middleton and Joe Bunce-Grenon in the AAU circuit so expect some familiarity between the two teams.
HockomockSports.com Picks | ||||||||||
Ryan Lanigan |
Tim Rosenthal |
Josh Perry |
Dan Libon |
Josh Brown | ||||||
HockomockSports.com Staff | ||||||||||
Stoughton @ King Philip Tuesday 6:30PM |
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Season | Lanigan 4-1 | Rosenthal 3-2 | Perry 4-1 | Libon 3-2 | Brown 2-1 |