Crockett at Cass Tech

Detroit- With the PSL playoffs just around the corner it was a must win game for Detroit Crockett Tuesday against its southeast rival Cass Tech.  But Cass is now in full swing with a handful of transfers eligible and a deeper bench proved to be too much for Crockett. 

One of those key transfers, sophomore Ray Lee, got going early and gave Cass the early lead.  Crockett found success on the glass thanks to Cleveland State commit Devin Long.  Consecutive 3-pointers from Terrell Woods kept Crockett close at 12-10 after one quarter of play.    

Cass was able to hold a 22-19 lead heading into the half primarily on the ability of Lee to penetrate and find open teammates like 6-7 Shannon Brown and 6-6 Marlin Mason. 

Crockett entered the third focused and a solid ball movement allowed Long the spacing he needed inside to go to work.  Although they were undersized, Crockett was killing the offensive boards but just couldn’t get shots to fall.  Crockett cut into the lead as Woods ended the third and started the fourth with 3-pointers.

Cass answered by picking up their transition pace and were rewarded with easy buckets. 

After going to a full court press Crockett forced a steal and a basket cut the lead to one with 45 seconds left in the game.  After a foul, Cass knocked down one foul shot to make it a two point game with 24 seconds remaining.

After a solid defensive stand by Cass, Crockett was forced to settle for a NBA range 3-pointer that rimmed off giving Cass a 40-38 win to stay in second place of the PSL- southeast.  King is currently in first place. 

Cass was led by Manson’s 10 points and 10 rebounds.  Kris Fulwood-Davis added 11 points.  Lee was instrumental in the win by running the offense.  The young prospect had a tough shooting night but found success penetrating and dishing.  The 6-2 sophomore was solid defensively using his length to get into passing lanes forcing steals. 

Lanier Brown also had a strong game but struggled shooting the ball.  He showed off his bounce with two dunks in transition.  He did force a lot and it resulted in turnovers.  He is Cass Tech’s best player in the open court but needs to be patient and make better decision in their half court offense.

Long put in a solid day of work.  He is a force on the boards and in the low post but specifically the offensive boards.  He positions himself very well to increase his chances of coming up with the offensive rebound.  Once he gets the board he puts it back up strong or kicks it back out to reset the offense.  This is priceless for a big man at his age to know when to go up and when to reset.  He also hit his free throws down the stretch.  This will be crucial at the next level because if he’s as effective on the offensive boards in college as he is in high school he will be seeing the charity stripe frequently. Defensively he is smart; he uses his body and length to alter shots. He doesn’t hack away at opponents; he keeps his hands straight up.