Shawcking

First of all, I was that guy on Saturday night who tried to beat the crowd to the exits.

The Southeast-East basketball game at Koch Arena was a classic, for sure. The whole game was outstanding, though I was that guy who missed Adonis Gantt's game-tying desperation three-pointer. Southeast had gone down four after two made free throws by East, but Gantt sprinted up the court, hit a three and was fouled on the play. He proceeded to sink the free throw and send the game into overtime.

Two things: One, I can't believe I pulled the typical Wichitan move of trying to beat the traffic at all costs; two, why would any East player be within 20 feet of Gantt on his way up the court?

The mistake aside, it was a great game, all anyone would expect. East, a supreme underachiever before the holiday break, losing to Bishop Carroll and South, showed itself to once again be a contender. The Aces are so stacked, and I believe they're better than Southeast. They led throughout the game and controlled play, sometimes leading by double-digits. East has so many talented players, and Saturday night they looked to be putting it together. Chemistry was good, ball movement was good, and college prospect post player Garrius Holloman was dominant on the boards. He has a serious knack for jumping straight up on the offensive boards, reaching over his defender to grab the rebound, and going right back up with, consistently hitting put-backs from eight feet. Truly, it's "take your pick" on this team.

But Southeast is just so crafty - which brings me to the title of this post: Shawcking. While Gantt hit the spectacular shot and the free throws, including two more to win it for the Buffs in overtime, Southeast guard Cecil Shaw is the only reason the Buffs were in position to tie the game in regulation. I don't have the exact count, but he had at least two steals in the final two minutes and nailed two three-pointers to draw Southeast within two after being down eight in the final minute. Shaw is the team thief, as he heads up Southeast's full-court press, ripping the ball out of peoples hands and gently tapping it away to his advantage. He is a very special high school basketball player.

I'm not saying Southeast doesn't have a chance to win the state title, but I am saying that by season's end, I think East will be the best team coming out of the City League. Southeast is very talented and scrappy, but they need more consistency. They're gamers, which gives them a chance in any ballgame.

Now, on to my beef. I also watched the Northwest-Kapaun boys game at the GWAL Basketball Classic. While Northwest is not on par with East and Southeast, they have a talented team that could be so much better. Chris Harper, one of the most talented athletes to come out of Wichita is recent years, didn't even start against Kapaun. When he got on the floor, his play was at times very uninspired. Also, point guard Alex Williams is outstanding at times, but his shot selection is questionable. They have a lefty shooter Nick Clary who can bomb the three's, but he didn't get that many off. Also, John Bridges needs more touches in the post. This could be a very good basketball team, but they need to stop moping around the court when things don't go their way. Hustle and desire are lacking. I've still got a place in my heart for this team, though. Harper is unguardable at times, and Clary needs to shoot five or six three's per game instead of three. Williams is another very good player, but he needs to stay positive and stop taking bad shots.

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