Trojans continue to work on defensive intensity
Published 10:46 pm Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Meadowview Christian is arguably playing its best basketball of the season after a rough 0-5 start to the season.
The Trojans have won three of their last four games, including a 60-53 win over Sumter Academy Tuesday night.
“Things are slowly progressing,” Meadowview Christian head coach James Murphy said. “We still have a few things we have to work on, like defensive recognition and play recognition. A lot of that comes with time.”
Murphy know his team will continue to improve as the season progresses, because — as he says — “the more you do it the better you get at it.”
One area where the Trojans are already shining this year is with the ability to score in isolation sets. Guards Carstella Hayes and C. J. Grimes have shown the ability to beat man-to-man defense consistently this year. Murphy said when teams decide to play man defense, the Trojans are usually at their best offensively.
“When teams try to go man it plays to our advantage where we can isolate either one of them on the floor and they can basically take them one on one,” Murphy said. “[Hayes and Grimes] scoring and being able to score off the dribble is a big contribution to our team.”
While Hayes and Grimes lead the Trojans in carving up defenses, Meadowview continues to work on its own defense.
“Defense wins games and offense sells tickets,” Murphy said. “The more you stop a player or team from scoring the better your chances of winning.”
The Trojans play a road game at Clarke Prep Friday night as their last game before the Morgan Academy Tournament Dec. 27 and 28. Murphy said the tournament will allow his team to go head-to-head with teams they do not commonly see throughout the season.
“Sometimes you get complacent when you play the same teams over and over again,” Murphy said. “You basically learn their habits, their good habits and their bad habits and it makes it easier for you to defend them. So when you play teams you aren’t familiar with it gives you new territory.”