Melrose at Raleigh Egypt ...... Liberty at White Station

[TraderB]

My picks......... Raleigh Egypt & White Station

 

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Raleigh Egypt will defeat Melrose by 8 to 15 pts.

 

While I still think that Melrose has the best, most talented team in Mphs, their emotionaly-draining loss to White Station will have major, lingering (negative) mental effects. This "hangover" will absolutely doom Melrose in Raleigh Egypt's sweat-box of a gymnasium.

 

 

Melrose's inability to hit FTs -- this LITERALLY cost them the game vs White Station.

 

Despite shooting around 50% (or worse...I haven't seen the stats. I'd love to see 'em, though) from the FT line, Melrose still had one last opportunity to add to its 2pt lead, with 10 secs left in regulation, and finish-off White Station.... All Melrose's talented PG had to do was hit 2 FTs (double-bonus), to push the lead to 2 posessions. At the very least, hit 1 FT...

 

He promptly missed both FTs!

 

White Station immediately seized the (unlikely) opportunity, promptly tied the game and sent it into OT. Joe Jackson then took over....The rest is history, an awfully depressive history for Melrose. They let the Region Championship get away from them..... I'm afraid that their State Title hopes went down the toilet, along with it!

 

Melrose is poised to join a long line of Bona Fide, State Title Contenders that FAILED to even make it out of Memphis! What a major disappointment and waste of tremendous talent.

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White Station will blowout Liberty by 18+ points!.

 

 

While I have not seen Liberty play, I've read some things about them and their style of play (small, up-tempo, perimeter-oriented) that, if true, raises some serious concerns for Liberty:

 

 

1) jump-shooting teams tend not to "travel" well, and often become more erratic and unreliable in the 4th qtr, as fatigue sets in.

 

2) Long, missed jumpers often lead to easy fast-break pts for the opposition.

 

3) The depth-perception of White Staion's huge, "wide open" gym tends to cause shooting woes for many teams/shooters, particularly those that are not accustomed to it.

 

4) White Station excels in up-tempo games and (not surprisingly) play extremely well at home.

 

5) W.S will destroy Liberty on the boards, both ends-- a double-whammy.

 

6) F. Hall will have an absolute field day in the paint vs Liberty, especially offensively. Defensively, he's a very smart & prolific shot-blocker (should Liberty drive to basket). Excellent timing. He does not foul a whole lot.

 

 

Summary:

 

 

If Liberty's jumpers are falling.... they might avoid a blowout & keep the game fairly close. They'll still lose.

 

If Liberty's jumpers are NOT falling.....this game will get ugly, in a really big hurry!

 

Either way.....this game will be entertaining, initially, but likely not worth watching (for neutral fans) for very long.

[terop]

My picks......... Raleigh Egypt & White Station

 

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Raleigh Egypt will defeat Melrose by 8 to 15 pts.

 

While I still think that Melrose has the best, most talented team in Mphs, their emotionaly-draining loss to White Station will have major, lingering (negative) mental effects. This "hangover" will absolutely doom Melrose in Raleigh Egypt's sweat-box of a gymnasium.

 

 

Melrose's inability to hit FTs -- this LITERALLY cost them the game vs White Station.

 

Despite shooting around 50% (or worse...I haven't seen the stats. I'd love to see 'em, though) from the FT line, Melrose still had one last opportunity to add to its 2pt lead, with 10 secs left in regulation, and finish-off White Station.... All Melrose's talented PG had to do was hit 2 FTs (double-bonus), to push the lead to 2 posessions. At the very least, hit 1 FT...

 

He promptly missed both FTs!

 

White Station immediately seized the (unlikely) opportunity, promptly tied the game and sent it into OT. Joe Jackson then took over....The rest is history, an awfully depressive history for Melrose. They let the Region Championship get away from them..... I'm afraid that their State Title hopes went down the toilet, along with it!

 

Melrose is poised to join a long line of Bona Fide, State Title Contenders that FAILED to even make it out of Memphis! What a major disappointment and waste of tremendous talent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

 

White Station will blowout Liberty by 18+ points!.

 

 

While I have not seen Liberty play, I've read some things about them and their style of play (small, up-tempo, perimeter-oriented) that, if true, raises some serious concerns for Liberty:

 

 

1) jump-shooting teams tend not to "travel" well, and often become more erratic and unreliable in the 4th qtr, as fatigue sets in.

 

2) Long, missed jumpers often lead to easy fast-break pts for the opposition.

 

3) The depth-perception of White Staion's huge, "wide open" gym tends to cause shooting woes for many teams/shooters, particularly those that are not accustomed to it.

 

4) White Station excels in up-tempo games and (not surprisingly) play extremely well at home.

 

5) W.S will destroy Liberty on the boards, both ends-- a double-whammy.

 

6) F. Hall will have an absolute field day in the paint vs Liberty, especially offensively. Defensively, he's a very smart & prolific shot-blocker (should Liberty drive to basket). Excellent timing. He does not foul a whole lot.

 

 

Summary:

 

 

If Liberty's jumpers are falling.... they might avoid a blowout & keep the game fairly close. They'll still lose.

 

If Liberty's jumpers are NOT falling.....this game will get ugly, in a really big hurry!

 

Either way.....this game will be entertaining, initially, but likely not worth watching (for neutral fans) for very long.

 

Trader Liberty is a little down this year but they are still well coached and descent. They shoot a lot of threes and play pressure defense. Of course they don't have anyone that can slow Joe down but I think the match up with Hall and Tarius Johnson down low could be pretty good. Like Coach Calipari always says, if a team come in a jack up 40 threes and hit half of them, you got a ball game. However I think WS got the easiest sub-state match up and Joe and company are so focused right now they will win...

[JodyJoe]

I gotta agree with your picks Trader. I think Raleigh has a mental edge on an already mentally drained Melrose team. Chris Jones who might've been the Region MVP has got to be feeling down after what happened. Since the Craigmont loss Raleigh hasn't lost a game I think. They have the leadership that melrose unfortunately doesn't, so I think Raleigh maintains a lead and then pulls away in the 4th to a 9 or 10 point win.

 

White Station SHOULD win this game and return the Boro so everyone, including Bearden fans, will get to see the Show on the grandest scale. I think Joe is averaging around 30 pts in playoff play this year and if that doesn't scream clutch and leadership then I don't know what else. Andre Hollins and Harry Green have also been doing alot of damage so when Julian Burton returns(you had some good points about Jackson running the point Trader) White Station will have added depth and should win this game. I like how the Spartans have always stepped up come playoff time the past two years.

[Jumpshot]

Don't forget...Liberty beat Wh. Station this summer. I know that is a stretch to go all the way back to the summer, but i bet Wh. Station hasn't forgotten it.

 

If Burton is healthy, he will have to match liberty's #1 who is like a bullet with the ball. He can shoot the three but likes to drive and dish. Usually gets his defender in foul trouble. That leaves Joe and Hollins to match up with the wings. #11 for Liberty is their best player. He will have his hands full guarding Joe...but joe will have more problems guarding him. He is relentless and can score in a variety of ways. Hollins isn't as quick as #11 so i expect him to have #12. He is a solid shooter but has some problems handling the ball.

 

The mismatch will be inside where Wh. Stat. has a huge advantage in size. Liberty's inside players are 6'4" and 6'1". Don't underestimate them. They are great at positioning and using their bodies and can finsh around the basket. The 6'4" kid is really good and can shoot jumpers as well. Wh. Sta. should dominate the boards if Liberty is missing; but, it won't matter how big they are if they're taking the ball out of the bottom of the nets all night.

 

If White Station takes this team lightly, there could be an upset...if Wh. Station comes to play, they should win.

[terop]

Don't forget...Liberty beat Wh. Station this summer. I know that is a stretch to go all the way back to the summer, but i bet Wh. Station hasn't forgotten it.

 

If Burton is healthy, he will have to match liberty's #1 who is like a bullet with the ball. He can shoot the three but likes to drive and dish. Usually gets his defender in foul trouble. That leaves Joe and Hollins to match up with the wings. #11 for Liberty is their best player. He will have his hands full guarding Joe...but joe will have more problems guarding him. He is relentless and can score in a variety of ways. Hollins isn't as quick as #11 so i expect him to have #12. He is a solid shooter but has some problems handling the ball.

 

The mismatch will be inside where Wh. Stat. has a huge advantage in size. Liberty's inside players are 6'4" and 6'1". Don't underestimate them. They are great at positioning and using their bodies and can finsh around the basket. The 6'4" kid is really good and can shoot jumpers as well. Wh. Sta. should dominate the boards if Liberty is missing; but, it won't matter how big they are if they're taking the ball out of the bottom of the nets all night.

 

If White Station takes this team lightly, there could be an upset...if Wh. Station comes to play, they should win.

 

Jumpshot Burton, Hollins, and Joe Jackson are way better than Anthony, Ricky Williams, and Cordaro Williams from Liberty. If Burton doesnt play no one from Liberty will be able to stay in front of Joe running the point for WS. Like I said earlier the match up with F. Hall and T. Johnson should be great, but WS counters with another 6'6 sophmore down low that can score around the basket. FYI Liberty's guards are no better than Melrose guards

[nebuntyn]

Jumpshot Burton, Hollins, and Joe Jackson are way better than Anthony, Ricky Williams, and Cordaro Williams from Liberty. If Burton doesnt play no one from Liberty will be able to stay in front of Joe running the point for WS. Like I said earlier the match up with F. Hall and T. Johnson should be great, but WS counters with another 6'6 sophmore down low that can score around the basket. FYI Liberty's guards are no better than Melrose guards

But Liberty is a smarter team.......Liberty would have never lost a 20 point lead, and that's a fact. So many times I see leads blown in Memphis........e.g. Manassas at the state tournament last year against Union City, Central versus White Station last week, White Station versus Melrose in the regional Championship, and if my memory is correct, I think White Station lost a 20 point lead against Craigmont earlier this year, and all of these leads were halftime leads. That tells me defense is lazy sometimes. You are correct White Station is more athletic than Liberty, but dont under estimate the heart of a champion. Hall gets frustrated when calls don't go his way... Liberty is the master at taking charges, Believe me when I say this, coach Williams will have a plan. I don't remember Liberty ever losing a 20 point lead, If Liberty has a 20 point lead at the half, White Station will lose, and that's a promise. GOOD LUCK TO WEST TN, we will dominate Murfreesboro.

[terop]

But Liberty is a smarter team.......Liberty would have never lost a 20 point lead, and that's a fact. So many times I see leads blown in Memphis........e.g. Manassas at the state tournament last year against Union City, Central versus White Station last week, White Station versus Melrose in the regional Championship, and if my memory is correct, I think White Station lost a 20 point lead against Craigmont earlier this year, and all of these leads were halftime leads. That tells me defense is lazy sometimes. You are correct White Station is more athletic than Liberty, but dont under estimate the heart of a champion. Hall gets frustrated when calls don't go his way... Liberty is the master at taking charges, Believe me when I say this, coach Williams will have a plan. I don't remember Liberty ever losing a 20 point lead, If Liberty has a 20 point lead at the half, White Station will lose, and that's a promise. GOOD LUCK TO WEST TN, we will dominate Murfreesboro.

 

Oh Nebuntyn I know Dexter will have an excellent game plan for Monday's game. Melrose had a great one last week that almost worked. You're right about the comebacks in Memphis, but some of these teams are so explosive that when they get it going they are hard to stop. Almost similar to how the team got the 20 point lead. Basketball is a game of two halfs, and all the games you are referring to the lead was lost in three different ways. Hall is always frustrated but he is playing the best ball that I have ever seen from him.

[ready4boro]

Both games will be close. Hard to call who will win. But Melrose has the most talent hands down than

any of them. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[terop]

Both games will be close. Hard to call who will win. But Melrose has the most talent hands down than

any of them. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

 

Actually when I look at all 4 teams remaining that can really be debatable. I would take White Station big 3 (Jackson, Hall and Hollins over the top players from the other schools, with RE (Hines, Jones, and Tank) being my second choice. I really think the threes will have to be raining for Liberty to keep this one close, but RE/Melrose game is a toss up. One thing for sure it will be jam packed with high intensity from both sides.

[yankees8589]

I have a feeling White Station might take Liberty to the woodshed tonight. If Liberty were to win I would not be suprised. However, I just don;t see it happening. Jackson is probably going to have a Huge game. This is just not a good matchup for Liberty in my opinion. White Station is to athletic and talented and has the talent. I do agree that Liberty will have the coaching advantage. As far as Liberty no blowing leads..that is true for the most part....but, Bolivar was down by 8 with 4 minutes left in the 3rd against Liberty (1st game) and won by 7...that's a 15 point swing in 1 1/2 quarters. I'm pulling for Liberty and hope they win...I just don't have a good feeling about this one....Hope I'm wrong.

[terop]

Wow what a ball game folks. Besides a 2-0 lead White Station was behind the whole game. Liberty was playing a almost perfect game. They were hitting short jumper after short jumper. Tarius Johnson was abusing Ferrokhan Hall pretty much the whole game especially in the 1st quarter. During the 4th quarter WS cranked up the D and started getting lay up after lay up. Liberty started traveling and making bad passes. Joe Jackson finished with 32, but Hall had zero and Hollins played poorly but came through in the 4th. FYI this is the first game I have ever attended and their was not a foul called in the first quarter in a half. AS a side note I personally saw Bruce Pearl, Clemson coach "Oliver Pernell", a UAB asst Coach, and the Tigers assistants...

[eridbro1]

Hats off to an extremely undersized and scrappy bunch from Liberty. The Crusaders came into the game tonight against a much bigger much more talked about team and gave them all they wanted. Liberty started the game shooting very well and they attacked White Station inside instead of staying away from the large advantage that White Station had inside. Liberty lead by as much as 10 and possibly 12 as late as 3:00 to go in the 3rd quarter. White Station cut the deficit to 39-34 after at the end of 3 quarters. White Station then opened the 4th with a 6-2 run before Dexter Williams took a time out with 6:50 to go. After that it seemed that White Station just wouldn't relax and allow Liberty to get to the rim shooting layups like they had the rest of the game. White Station realized that in order to play the style of basketball that Liberty forces you to play they would have to play small with Joe Jackson, Patrick Coleman, Harry Green, Andre Hollis and forgive me #10 the other 6'2 player's name escapes me at the moment. This lineup allowed the Spartans to keep the game close. At about the 3:50 mark Harry Green hit a monster 3 for the first tie of the game at 46-46. One would think that this would break Liberty's back after having a big lead and control of the whole game but Williams' team was resiliant. Liberty promptly responded opening a 4 point lead until Jesus Patino took a timeout with the score 50-46. Harry Green hit another big 3 to pull the Spartans within 1. Both teams began attacking inside and Liberty seemed to start to turn over the ball while White Station started to convert as well as hit free throws. White Station regained the lead at the .50 mark with an Andre Hollis' inside shot who then stepped to the line and converted the 3 point play to give White Station a 53-51 lead that it wouldn't relinquish. This play proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back because along with losing their final lead Liberty's best player Ricky Williams fouled out. Liberty turned the ball over and then Andre Hollis stepped to the line again to give White Station a 55-51 lead with 30.5 to go. Liberty then drove down the floor and threw the ball into the waiting arms of a Spartan wearing none other than #1. Ironically Joe Jackson only hit one of two at the line and had several seconds earlier missed the front end of a one and one. Liberty then made a layup closing the game to 56-53 then fouled Hollis who made two more pushing the lead to 5 at 58-53. A crusaders' layup concluded the scoring at 58-55. One of the keys of the game seemed to be the unheralded defense that was provided off the bench by Patrick Coleman.

 

Congratulations to Dexter Williams and the Liberty Crusaders for an excellent gameplan and never going away when it would have been easy to mail it in and call it a game. It's extremely impressive how much Williams' gets out of his teams year in and year out.

 

Congrats to Jesus Patino and White Station for hanging in on the superb play of Joe Jackson for making another state tournament appearance.

 

Just an interesting side note... University of Tennessee Men's Head Coach Bruce Pearl and Assistant Coach Steve Forbes were in attendance.

 

Just going from memory and sent text messages so some of the info could be a little off here and there.