“Playoff basketball comes down to execution and paying attention to every little detail”.
That quote from Dorman head coach Thomas Ryan rang true in how the night went for his squad as they hosted White Knoll in the first round of the playoffs Wednesday.
The Cavaliers are a team characterized by experience, speed, and physicality in the paint, eventually wearing down the opposition and pulling away to victory. But in this playoff battle, all of that would be much easier said than done.
White Knoll came in with a clear plan to slow down the tempo and swarm to the ball inside in an effort to prevent the Cavaliers from finding a rhythm. It worked well in the early going – save for the efforts of Senior Point Guard Christian Andrews and Junior Guard Keenan Arcega-Whiteside.
The duo scored 9 of the Cavs’ 15 points in the opening 8 minutes, and combined for 17 of their 24 first half points. In short, every time White Knoll pulled it close and Dorman needed a basket, one of those two was there to make it happen.
The battle that can only be described as a rock fight would be decided by executing at the most crucial time – the 4th quarter, which Dorman entered with a narrow 31-29 lead.
After a Christian Andrews three pointer gave them some cushion, Senior Point Guard Christian Gentry was fouled. After he made the first of what was originally just 2 free throws, the Timberwolf player guilty of the infraction was called for a technical, which doubled it to a chance at a free 4 points. Gentry swished all four of the shots, starting a 6-6 streak at the stripe for him that spanned the entire quarter. Those 6 points plus a layup in between trips to the line ended up being the blow that broke the game open just enough for Dorman to pull away.
Gentry’s 4th quarter spark, which was enough to make him the third Cavalier to log in double figures on the night, was not the only story to come from the last 8 minutes of this contest.
They say there are certain players that you can’t let get hot, and that rings especially true for Christian Andrews. Once White Knoll was too far down to worry about controlling the tempo, he went 3 for his last 4 from the field and split a pair of free throws, making him the leading scorer with 21 points. Keenan Arcega-Whiteside also made some noise late in the game, finishing 3 for his last 4 from the field to give him a total of 17 points.
“Keenan Arcega-Whiteside has really come on in the 2nd half of this season and he is a big piece for us both on offense and defense as well as with rebounding. C.A. (Andrews) is a three year starter, so we expect him to make big plays and he made a huge three early in the 4th. Christian Gentry has been in the program but this is the first time he has been in pressure packed situations and I thought he made some big foul shots”, said Ryan of the trio’s efforts in the contest.
“I was proud of our guys. We knew coming in that White Knoll was tough, physical, and very patient on offense so it was going to be a lower-scoring and low-possession game. We knew it was going to take some time. In the 4th quarter, it was a 2 point game, and it was either win or go home. Our guys really turned up the defensive pressure and made some shots”, coach Ryan added after his team’s 53-38 victory.
Dorman’s win – their 20th of the season – sets up a road trip for the 2nd round, as the Cavaliers will take on Blythewood Saturday afternoon in what Thomas Ryan says will be a tough test.
“Blythewood is well-coached. I know Zeke Washington very well. He is a great coach and as a matter of fact, he was their coach when we played them for our first state championship. His teams are always physical and have good athletes. They throw different defenses at you. I will have to look at them on film to see where they are at, but it will be a tough matchup. But one thing for us moving forward is that we are going to have to clean up our turnovers if we want to continue to have a chance to advance.”
