Kehler on Hoops: GOERGE DEFEATS WEST NOTTINGHAM ACADEMY 67-52
Written by: Dell Jackson on December 9, 2021
GOERGE DEFEATS WEST NOTTINGHAM ACADEMY 67-52
Friends Schools League power George defeated visiting West Nottingham Academy (Colora, MD) 67-52 in a spirited and intriguing game on Wednesday afternoon. West Nottingham Academy has a number of international players, including highly touted 6′ 11″ sophomore Yves Missi, from Camaroon, who has scholarship offers from UCLA, St. John’s, and DePaul, among others. Although George has one of the tallest teams in Pennsylvania, West Nottingham had a height advantage in this matchup. Except for a tie at 7, George led for the entire game.
It was clear from the outset that George had scouted West Nottingham. In their first possessions, George got the ball inside to 6′ 9″ senior Gestin Liberis, who attacked the basket and quickly got Missi in foul trouble. Liberis scored nine points in the first quarter on three free throws and three field goals from inside. West Nottingham’s man-to-man defense did not provide Missi with sufficient help, and he quickly was on the bench with two fouls. West Nottingham’s offense in the first quarter was centered on Antwan Collins, who scored 10 points in the frame, entirely on drives to the basket. Trailing 29-20 in the second quarter, West Nottingham switched to a 2-3 zone, but George continued to attack inside. 6′ 7″ George senior Evan Effelfinger scored from short range in his team’s first possession against West Nottingham’s 2-3, and George also scored some transition baskets and hit from outside.
George played a couple of different zone defenses in the second half, and West Nottingham switched back to man-to-man late in the third frame. However, West Nottingham never got the deficit under double digits in the second half.
Missi, West Nottingham’s marquee player, was plagued with foul trouble, and he eventually fouled out. Substituting for Missi, Damjan Vukcevic was very impressive. About 6′ 10″ and from the Adriatic nation of Montenegro, Vukcevic was a superb passer from the high post, an effective rebounder, and he played with good court sense. He’s been in the United States for just a couple of months. West Nottingham might have had more success in the game if they had used more full court pressure. When they did press, they disrupted George’s attack. George showed terrific offensive balance in this game. Eight George players scored, and five different players made 3 pointers in the game. George players are unselfish and give the impression that they like to play with each other. The team is obviously very well coached.
George had a 42-35 edge on the boards, and each team had 15 turnovers. George was 10 for 20 from the free throw line, and West Nottingham was 14 for 21. George made five 3 pointers, and West Nottingham made two shots from beyond the arc. A 30 second shot clock was used in the game, but there were no shot clock violations.
West Nottingham Academy scoring: Antwan Collins 13, Vakaris Grauslys 11, Bryan Ndjonga 10, Yves Missi 6, D. Vasquez 6, R. Tsai 4, and Damjan Vukcevic 2.
George scoring: Gestin Liberis 16, Christian Bliss 15, Dante Weise 10, Evan Effelfinger 9, Kendell Gordon 5, Zach White 5, Luke Meiniczak 5, and Brandon Enarusai 2.
West Nottingham Academy 14 10 12 16-52
George 17 15 18 17-67
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