Grain Valley’s lockdown defense stymies Pirates in 64-40 win

by Michael Smith

     The Grain Valley boys basketball team has been on fire.
     The Eagles came into the Grain Valley Invitational semifinal game against Platte County on a six-game winning streak.
     A big part of that spurt has been the defense. During the winning streak, Grain Valley has surrendered just 47.1 points per game. On Thursday, Grain Valley turned in another stellar defensive performance, holding the Pirates offense in check during a 64-40 victory at home.
     The Eagles advance to the championship game of their tournament for the first time since 2014. They will play St. Thomas Aquinas out of Kansas at 3:30pm for the championship.
     “We went from a team that was flinching every time and were scared to play defense to a team that gets in the passing lanes and is frothing at the mouth get after it on defense,” Grain Valley junior Stylz Blackmon said.
     For the Eagles, it came down to stopping two players – Boston Wahlert and Judah Vignery. The former scored a team-high 15 points but Vignerty only had three as Grain Valley executed their defensive game plan to near perfection.
     “If we handle those two, then we can mess with them,” Grain Valley freshman Eli Herbert said. “They were confused the whole night and they were second guessing everything and that was what was great about our defense.”
     “We tried to make every pass as hard as possible. When they tried to get downhill, we just squeezed it and we have sneaky long arms with our guards and we could get tipped passes.”
     Grain Valley head coach Andy Herbert was certainly pleased with the defensive effort of his team and being unselfish on offense.
     “We knew who their shooters were other than (Boston Wahlert), who got loose early,” Grain Valley head coach Andy Herbert said. “We didn’t get to him in the first half but we did in the second half.
     “It also comes down to rebounding and our guys did a decent job of that. The guys played tough and they were unselfish.”
     Eli helped give the Eagles a 16-11 lead by scoring 13 of his game-high 22 points in the first half as he was off to a hot start. His team extended the advantage to 36-23 at halftime after Blackmon put in seven of his 12 points in the frame.
     Blackmon, who comes off the bench and splits minutes with starting forward Rhylan Alcanter has fit his role perfectly for the Eagles as a low-post scorer, a rebounder and a rim protector.
     “Stylz is a great kid. He works hard and he’s so fun to be around,” Eli said. “When Rhylan comes out, you can’t tell the difference. That’s a nice thing to have two post guys like that.”
     Blackmon said he enjoys his role on the team.
     “I am happy my team is winning and I want to do anything to help my team win,” Blackmon said. “I am glad that all the puzzle pieces fit together as Coach said earlier. We have guys who play well together and know their role.”
     The Eagles (13-5) ballooned the lead to 49-33 going into the fourth with Alcanter putting in six points and Herbert was able to empty his bench 3 minutes in the fourth as his team led by as many as 24 points.
     Alcanter added 10 points to help his team to victory. Platte County Chandavean Bradley also had 15 points for the Pirates.

Grain Valley junior Logan Marcum, right, looks for an open teammate.

​Grain Valley senior Owen Herbert is by himself during a fast-break opportunity after receiving a pass from Jack Schoen. ​