Game Report: Johnston VS Dowling Catholic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#2 - Dowling Catholic traveled across DSM on Tuesday night to compete against the #1 - Johnston Dragons in the most important contest of the regular season so far this Winter within the 5A Class. Once the ball was tipped, The Maroons did their thing, stuck to their game-plan, and they hammered the Post with action to [player_tooltip player_id='582813' first='Ellie' last='Muller'] every other play. The Dragons didn't have an answer for this underneath. Instead, they replied with their Ace, [player_tooltip player_id='557354' first='Jenica' last='Lewis']. Lewis went off. She hit multiple shots with the shot clock running down and she made a play when the Dragons needed it the most. In the end, the Dragons won by a small margin of 46-43. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article we highlight the top prospects from the game last night, that performed at a high enough level to make a critical difference when the final buzzer sounded.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["557354"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69430b1bc87d2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Last night's contest proved to be a high octane battery between the best two 5A teams in the state, Johnston and Dowling Catholic. This game was decided because of mainly one prospect and that prospect was ND WBB commit - [player_tooltip player_id='557354' first='Jenica' last='Lewis'] for the Dragons. Lewis ended the contest with a game high 25 points but that's not the highlight. The highlight is that Lewis took over in the second half, making the game her own in every facet. Offensively, she was hitting deep step back three's all night long, she was getting to the hoop for a easy finishes on both sides, and she was hitting her open teammates in transition whenever they could push the ball. Defensively, Lewis made scrappy plays all night long causing tips, deflections, and eventually - turnovers. For all intents and purposes, last night's game could be called "The [player_tooltip player_id='557354' first='Jenica' last='Lewis'] Game" when looking back at it. Without the play of Lewis, this would have been a bloodbath for the Maroons but instead the Dragons move their winning streak to 59 straight over 2.5 years. Pretty Incredible. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["582813"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69430b1bc8844"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='582813' first='Ellie' last='Muller'] did [player_tooltip player_id='582813' first='Ellie' last='Muller'] things in this ball-game. DC's biggest advantage is their size whenever they play anyone. They have height across the board, that most opponents cannot match with and that was the case last night in the Post. Muller was getting ample touches next to the bucket to start the game and those touches led to easy scores for the 6'3 PF. It didn't matter if Johnston fronted her, doubled her, or tripled her. Whenever the ball was lobbed to Muller in the middle, she came down with it and that possession usually ended in a bucket over multiple defenders. When it got to the end of the game, the Maroons somewhat shied away from their play in the post. Which ultimately let the Dragons victory when the final buzzer sounded, 46-43.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1201512"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694315ea1bb26"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1201512' first='Nikki' last='Muller'] is following the footsteps of her older sister's by being one heck of a basketball prospect already. Nikki is only a Freshman at this time but over the next three years, she might turn into a special player. We saw a little bit of everything from Nikki last night. We saw her make smart choices, never waiving in confidence. We saw her make an impact on both sides of the floor and we saw her standout above most others in doing so. Nikki made some noteworthy plays as this one dwindled down. She made unselfish pasts to the posts for her sister to score, she attacked when she saw opportunities, and she never forced unneeded action leading to stupid mistakes on offense or defense. There is a lot to like about someone like this moving forward. If she continues to get better and she plays her cards right, I'm sure this is someone we will talk about for years to come. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["766212"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694315ea1bb85"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='766212' first='Maddy' last='Rice'] made an impactful AND1 bucket in the second half to help the Maroons keep things close as everything moved into the 4th quarter but that wasn't all she did. Rice stands out because of her ability to listen, adapt, and sacrifice. When you give Rice a game-plan, she sticks to it and she does pretty well with the objective at hand. She is one of the types that isn't afraid to be one of the first on the floor for loose ball opportunities. She always has her teammates backs and she is coordinated with some respectable skill/touch. DC will have a shot to bring home a 5A State Title this Winter. After what we saw last night, this game might have been a preview of the future but we will have to wait and see. If they want to build off of this momentum though, players like Rice have to keep doing their thing. Something that is definitely do-able at this time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["644558"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694315ea1bbcf"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='644558' first='Daya' last='Phillips'] is a player that understands her role and she always ready to step onto the hardwood to compete. On this Dragon's team, with their currently lineup, Phillips has to perform in some MAJOR moments off the bench at times. She is looked upon to come into the game, rebound, and to defend her position the best she can. Phillips did just that in this one. She made her presence known by defending like her life depended on it at times and that stood out. Daya might not be the biggest scoring threat at all times but she makes up for that with her ability to defend, rebound, and the knowledge of her game. If Johnston wants to go back2back2back in 5A, Daya will be a major factor in that process. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1238790"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-694315ea1bc11"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2029 Class in Iowa is very special. There is a lot of potential talent, that one day could compete at the P4 Division-1 level. Now we haven't seen a Freshman play significant minutes for Dowling Catholic in a few years so that [player_tooltip player_id='1238790' first='Adrienne' last='Sears'] is consistently on the floor, means something. Sears is coordinated with a soft touch on the ball and impressive natural instincts. She has been playing more of a CG spot between the 2 and 3 when in-game but she could also handle up the floor if need be as the 1 in tight situations. We saw flashed of Sears' in this one. She made some productive plays with a lot of skill around her. I'm sure Sears is only going to become more talented with the more experience she has so that she is already seeing time for the Maroons is meaningful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->