Eagles defense stymies Chrisman in 65-38 victory

by Michael Smith, Grain Valley News   
 
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It didn’t take long for the Grain Valley boys basketball team to put its imprint in the game.
 
The Eagles took on Suburban White Conference foe William Chrisman Tuesday on the road and put on a clinic on defense from the jump.
 
They held the Bears without a point until the 2:18 mark when Chrisman junior Kenneth Heath made a driving layup. Grain Valley carried that defensive momentum into the rest of the game and didn’t allow more than 12 points in the quarter en route to a 65-38 victory.
 
“I thought our defense and rebounding was better (than the previous three games),” Grain Valley head coach Andy Herbert said. “We had spurts where I thought we were tremendous defensively. We were very connected and our communication was at a high level.
 
“When we are locked in like that defensively, we are pretty good.”
 
Last season, the Eagles had three players who were 6-foot-5 or taller in the rotation, which allowed the team to use a variety of zones to use their length to get deflections and contest shots at the rim.
 
Two of those tall players graduated in May, so Grain Valley (3-1) has had to adjust their offensive and defensive strategies with a more guard-heavy rotation. The Eagles rotations were sharp, the guards pressured the ball and created turnovers and they limited open looks in the paint for the Bears.
 
“We knew their game plan was to screen a lot,” Grain Valley senior Anthony Juarez said. “We just talked and communicated and we took away the drive first because they don’t shoot the ball very well. After we took the drive away, we then closed out.”
 
The defense of star senior Eli Herbert was a big part of Grain Valley’s success. The Liberty University commit made things tough on Chrisman’s guards, using his length and athleticism to cut off passing lanes and disrupt shots. He had two blocks and three steals on the day to cap off his stellar defensive performance.
 
“I think my defense has gotten a lot better,” Herbert said. “I think that is because I spent the summer working on getting bigger, faster and stronger. My athleticism has gotten a lot better.”
 
“We were enthusiastic on defense as a team. We took everything away they wanted to do. When we can guard the ball and not have to rotate behind it, we are pretty good.”
 
Grain Valley raced out to a 15-0 lead to start the first before going into the second period with a 17-6 lead. The Eagles then expanded the advantage to 34-18 at halftime as Herbert hit two key 3-pointers while coming off screens and releasing the shots from the right wing.
 
Senior 6-foot-7 center Sam Pendergrass then made his presence felt in the third period by dominating the interior and putting in nine points to put the Eagles ahead 65-28.
 
From there, Andy Herbert went deep into his bench and used 10 players in the contest.
 
Juarez had one of his best games of the season as he finished with a team-high 17 points, while Herbert had 15 and Pendergrass chipped in with 12.
 

Grain seniors Anthony Juarez, left, and Eli Herbert combined for 32 points in a 65-38 victory over William Chrisman Tuesday on the road. Photo credit: Michael Smith