Views From The Couch: Game Film Review (2/10/21)

Welcome to life during a pandemic, right? I never thought I'd spend nights sitting at home watching games through a computer screen while they're being played in New York gyms, but COVID restrictions can get in the way. Unfortunately, I didn't receive a 'yes' response for any of Wednesday's games that I inquired about. No worries though, I guess I'll watch the stream? It's 2021, technology should've allowed this to be a thing for a while now.

One of the games I got the 'no' from was a small school Section V contest, as North Rose-Wolcott made the trip to take on Gananda. NR-W got a season opening W on Monday; this was Gananda's opener. I was intrigued enough to want to make the trip for it because of NR-W's Monday result, my knowledge of the Gananda program & their general level of success, and my overall lack of knowledge of the players involved. I think I've only seen one of them - Kaylee Marvin, a 2024 at Gananda that I caught a few times with the Syracuse Royals.

THE GAME ITSELF

It was competitive for a while before things swung in North Rose-Wolcott's favor, and they made the most of it. A big run over a large chunk of the 2nd half gave them control in an eventual 52-42 win.

Gananda grabbed an early lead with their ability to establish Kaylee Marvin (Gananda 2024) in the post. She had 6 points in the first 4 minutes, and they led by as much as 7 in the first half. NR-W would bounce back in the 2nd quarter, much of it coming with Marvin on the bench after picking up her 2nd foul. Despite the hot shooting from Ashley Crumb (Gananda 2021), who scored 17 1st half points including all 9 of her team's points in the 2nd quarter, NR-W tied it on three occasions in the frame and eventually took a 29-26 lead going into the break. It was a lead that Gananda would never get back.

Gananda tied it twice early in the 3rd, the second time being at 31-31 with 5:34 left in the quarter, but they'd be shut out for an extended period of time from there as NR-W put their foot on the pedal. With Marvin back on the bench for the rest of the quarter after picking up her 3rd foul a minute in, NR-W scored the last 8 of the period - 6 from Eva Norris (North Rose-Wolcott 2021) - to go up 39-31. They kept it rolling in the 4th, scoring the first 9 on 3 threes to extend the run to 17-0 and lead to 48-31. Marvin, back in the game and by this point with 4 fouls, finally ended the run and broke Gananda's scoreless stretch of over 9 minutes with a bucket. It was far from enough though, as NR-W eventually extended their lead back to 17 late. Gananda scored the game's last 7 points.

Eva Norris and Lissah Waterman, both seniors, finished with 15 points each for North Rose-Wolcott. Ashley Crumb, a senior, dropped a game high 21 points for Gananda. Freshman Kaylee Marvin added 12.

THE TURNING POINT (from my view on the couch)

Not something I'll always mention, but I'll bring it up when it's relevant. To me, the game changed when Kaylee Marvin was tagged with her 3rd foul early in the 3rd quarter and had to sit for the remainder of the frame. Gananda got away with it to an extent in the 2nd, where she also sat most of the quarter after picking up her 2nd foul, because of the hot shooting of Ashley Crumb. In the 3rd, they just couldn't get anything going and for the most part, they couldn't get good shots. It was all the time NR-W needed to gain a little separation and a lot of confidence. Come in with a strong post/perimeter combo and take one part out of it - in this case, the post - and things become much more difficult.

THE PLAYERS

- It was my first time watching Eva Norris (North Rose-Wolcott 2021) play and it only half-counts because it wasn't in person, but it was easy to tell the respect she has by the defensive attention she received. She still got hers to an extent with 15 points, but her willingness to make the right play in the moment seemed to really help them offensively. She was assertive offensively, and her six 3rd quarter points proved to be very valuable, but she didn't try to do too much and tried to penetrate to get others involved. Teammates got good shots & they hit enough of them to pull away in the 2nd half.

- Also my first time getting a look at Ashley Crumb (Gananda 2021) - at least I think so - and she helped keep her team afloat for a long period of time. I wrote 'good shooting stroke' after her first release, which didn't even go in, but she hit plenty of them after & I can change it to 'consistently good shooting stroke'. She has a pretty smooth jumper, particularly off the catch, and has some deep range on it. It was on display in this game, particularly in the 1st half, where her scoring was a primary reason they were in a good position.

Kaylee Marvin, pictured here at Syracuse Royals 'Breakfast with the Royals' event, fought through some foul trouble & showed continued promise.

- Foul trouble impacted Kaylee Marvin's night as she wasn't able to get into much of a flow, but she showed in stretches why she's definitely a player to get familiar with in the 2024 class. A righty finish through contact, a lefty hook, and a stepthrough & finish in the post showed an array of back-to-basket scoring skills in the first few minutes. She also looks like a pretty well-trained post player for her age - strong build, presents herself well with a wide, athletic base, pretty good footwork, and good hands to boot. The foul trouble really hurt her because I thought she was never able to get into a flow with how much she had to sit in the middle quarters - and unfortunately for her & Gananda, from my view 200 miles away, it looked like she got the short end of the stick on her 3rd & 4th fouls. It's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. The 6 footer still showed why her name is one to circle & continue tracking.

I would've loved to see this one in person, but it's one that I unfortunately wasn't granted clearance for. Hopefully these are teams that I'll find an opportunity to watch in person at some point, but in a shortened season, this stream might have to do. Glad they're back to playing & glad I was able to watch them in any fashion... a year unlike any other is underway!