As The Royals Make a Change They Seem to Find Their Stride vs. St. Rays

                It may have taken some fans in attendance at Christ the King by surprise that only one of the team’s twin towers, freshman Moussa Cisse was introduced as a starter and junior Kofi Cockburn began the game on the bench. It’s worth noting that the change did not last very long; only a few minutes into the game. It’s also worth noting that all three players involved in the switch, Cisse, Cockburn and forward Jared Harrison-Hunte all had strong moments in what would be an 82-64 win over St. Ray’s. Time will tell whether or not the change will have a lasting impact but if the first impression is an accurate one it may help the Royals find their stride as they enter the New Year and the rigors of league play.

     Even though the change to the lineup came up front, the Royals’ quick start on offense was triggered by the back court. A 10-0 game starting burst included consecutive 3-point baskets by talented sophomore guards Quaran McPherson and Ryan Meyers. The two youngsters combined with senior Tyson Walker not just for scoring but to move the ball with drives and quick crisp passing and the trio of forwards were the beneficiaries. Cockburn, who came off the bench, was particularly impressive finishing plays with both a soft touch and some powerful dunks. Harrison-Hunte helped clean up whatever the two bigs did not get to and, more significantly helped the Royals control the defensive boards. Meyers would finish with a game high 18 points and showed a lot more than just his shooting skill. He had several terrific assists to the big men and also made good decisions when the proper play was to keep the ball moving. McPherson added 15 and Cockburn 14 for the Royals, who led by a dozen after the first quarter and saw that margin reach as high as 23 points.

     At a time when analytics and statistical analysis have become such a part of basketball as they have in all sports, the effect of the line-up change is hard to quantify using numbers alone. Whether they were on the court together or separately Cisse and Cockburn were game changers on defense with shot blocks and alterations. I think the best part of the rotation was that they were simply able to navigate foul troubles, while both guys picked up 3 fouls early, they maintained a substantial margin and their aggressiveness from the game’s start to its finish.

    St. Ray’s faced a difficult task that was made even harder with the absence of tough senior forward Darius Lee due to an injury. The Ravens had a highlight sequence when Gary Grant scored on a dunk over one of CK’s towers and junior Jalen Reneau connected on a transition triple. Once CK regained their footing the game was in hand for the Royals and while much of the focus may have been on CK’s talented big men, their guards, particularly Meyers showed terrific ability and that they may indeed provide the edge the Royals need for a title run.