Toronto, Ontario – In an up and down battle that saw a big second half come back, the BioSteel All-Canadian game ended with a 131-120 win for Team Red. This game featured the best high school basketball players across Canada (and Canadian prep players in the US) and included multiple players that have already declared to NCAA Division 1 schools. With stars from the four previous BioSteel games including RJ Barrett, Jamal Murray, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Goldring Centre in downtown Toronto was buzzing with media and professional scouts.
The most hyped names coming into today game were a pair of junior wings Mathew-Alexander Moncrieffe and Addison Patterson. Moncrieffe brings an NBA ready body with a 7-foot wing span and great strength and explosiveness. Patterson is a more polished player who relies on steps backs and intuitive cutting and off the ball movement to put points up.
The game was a tale of two halves. Team White, led by Moncrieffe, struck first with a 15-6 run in the last four minutes of the first quarter. Their bench was able to outpace Team Red, Patterson’s team, 16-10 and turned up the defensive clamps for the rest of the quarter. In a more evenly played second quarter, Team White still added to their lead heading into the locker room up 63-52. Patterson found himself in the right spots to receive a variety of passes along the baseline and in the lane that resulted in short jumpers and push shots and 17 first half points. Joshua Hemming led Team White with 11 points, many of which came as he aggressively attacked the rim for dunks and straight-line drives in transition.
The second half was dominated by Team Red as they came out aggressively and evaporated the deficit ending the third quarter with a double-digit lead. Taryn Todd stood out putting up 11 points for the quarter and 19 for the game on 8-of-9 shooting. The pressure he placed on Team White’s defense allowed their shooters to start warming up from three (7-of-16 in the second half) after a frigidly cold first half for both teams shooting a combined 4-of-28. As the third quarter drew to a close Team Red took it to Team White to the tune of 45-27 for the frame. While the final quarter saw Team White close in during the games final minutes led by two seniors -rangy wing Emanuel Miller and electrifying point guard, and the weekends dunk champion, Jahcobi Neath – it was not enough. Team Red was able to respond, exemplified by a smooth Addision Patterson behind the dish to Keon Ambrose- Hylton on the break for a two-handed finish and an 11-point win.
Some of the more impressive players were:
Addison Patterson (Team Red MVP) – Showed good poise with the ball acting as a lead option, even among other stars (which says something right there), toggling between initiating pick and rolls, running off screens to isolate, and just finding opportunities in transition and early offence. He finished the game with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists. He got to the line a game high 12 times making eight.
Jahcobi Neath (Team White MVP) – Jahcobi attacked the rim relentlessly using his explosive quickness to get through seams in the defense. His athleticism, which stood out in this game, allowed him to tie for game high with eight boards. Often Neath was able to secure D boards or loose balls, he paced his team with two steals, then start the break himself. When the ball was in his hands, he created action and when he didn’t have it, he played with intensity to secure it back for his squad.
Emanuel Miller (Team White) – A rangy wing who excelled as he used his diversified offensive skill set to attack in transition and off the bounce. Miller showed a very intuitive sense of when to pass, dribble and shoot and was lethal challenging close outs or opportunities created from good ball movement to attack the rim. He is definitely an intriguing prospect with great size and physical tools. He finished with 21 point and five boards.
Mathew- Alexander Moncrieffe (Team White) – Prior to the game Mathew was given the Canadian High School player of the year trophy. There was not a player more heavily hyped. Although he largely fizzled in this game, he already has an NBA body as a high school junior at 6-7 with a 7-foot win span, broad shoulders and impressive athleticism. He can really move and is like a spring coiling and recoiling when he gets near to the rim. For this evening however, he made only 5-of-16 shots and struggled to finish through contact. His ball handling looks like it could use work as he continues to transition to being a perimeter player.
Taryn Todd (Team Red) – Todd is a lightening quick point guard who owned the oppositions paint all night long with his penetration. Beyond using his great length and burst to create opportunities he also showcased a nice touch from three point range going 3-of-5. Viewing him this one game, he has great potential as a two way player that can create action on offence and lock down a perimeter player on the other side. He ended the game with 23 points and three boards with good offensive efficiency.
This article was written by David Sauriol, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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