Recap
by Boots Giblin
DeMatha defeated Flint Hill by a score of 87-64, to improve to 7-1 with two games left remaining on their schedule before postseason play. The Flint Hill Huskies sitting at 3-3 with postseason aspirations hanging on by a thread, failed to compete on the glass the whole game, and for most of their offensive possessions, lacked rhythm. Dematha controlled the boards, out-rebounding Flint Hill 28-11, and adding 13 offensive rebounds in the first half to tally 13 second chance points. DeMatha’s full court pressure didn’t turn the Huskies over as much as the first few minutes indicated it would, but when they did force turnovers, they capitilized. They added 15 points off of Flint Hill turnovers. Flint Hill just had five points in this category, yet the turnover margin only being separated by one. Flint Hill was sped up almost every possession, and had to make the most of driving into a collapsing DeMatha defense that used their size and length to make the passes to open shooters difficult, resulting in 2-13 shooting from deep. Flint Hill had just two assists in the first half, to DeMatha’s nine, which they used to find open shooters who had time, as rising freshman Babatunde Oladotun made five triples. Key Dematha three pointers helped them to combat the 10-1 run Flint Hill went on to cut the lead from 26-12 to 27-22, and help DeMatha finish the half up 14, 44-30.
A more balanced scoring attack and a consistent advantage on the boards helped DeMatha run their offense with continued ease in the second half, as five stags found themselves in double figures in the scoring department. Flint Hill’s leading scorer, Kobe Davis, was held to just six points in the second half and their shooting woes didn’t go away as DeMatha crusied to the 23 point victory. DeMatha proves to be a lock for the playoffs, and hopes to keep their winning streak alive come postseason play. Flint Hill now has a losing record of 3-4, and is looking at two must – win matchups against New Hope Academy and Annapolis Area Christian to possibly sneak into the field of 24.
