ANAbasketball.com HS Hoops: Doherty outlasts East in top 10 match up

Doherty made enough second half adjustments to outlast Denver East 60 -53 in a rare late season non-conference matchup. Both teams came in with a game plan of taking the opposing teams best player away. Brevin Brimble of Doherty and Daylen Kountz of East are two of the state’s top scorers.

Both Brimble and Kountz were face guarded throughout the night. Despite the attention given to Brimble Doherty still managed to jump out to a 9 -2 lead in the first behind three straight three-pointers.

Both Brimble and Kountz created scoring opportunities for their teammates earlier in the quarter. Late in the first, both scorers were able to create for themselves. Kountz began to carve up Doherty off of ball screens and get into left-hand paint finishes. Brimble remained patient and was able to connect on two rhythm three-pointers the second of which he made at the buzzer to take a 20 – 14 lead going into the second quarter.

Kountz continued operating off of ball screens and with 6 minutes remaining scored in the paint again to tie the score at 22 and give him 8 points in the paint. Kountz would continue to have his way against Doherty’s defense scoring 10 points in the second quarter. East primarily played zone during the second and held Doherty to just four second-quarter points. Despite Doherty’s offensive struggles, they trailed by just 4 points, 28 – 24 at the half.

It was East who struggled in the third quarter only scoring 6 points. Doherty made significant adjustments to its defensive game plan against Kountz. “In the first half, our help was non-existant, he’s far too talented to not aggressively help ” Doherty head coach Jarris Krapcha said. “We did a much better job of rotating and helping early. We also did a better job of not letting him finish with his left hand.” Doherty held Kountz to just two third-quarter points. Doherty led 36 – 34 going into the fourth.

Kountz finished strong with 12 fourth-quarter points, but it was not enough as Doherty exploded for 25 points in the fourth. Brimble scored 6 of his eight from the free throw line, but the difference in the game was the ability of his teammates to step up offensively in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Emmanuel Burleson scored 6 of his 9 points in the fourth quarter, and junior big man Joseph Golden scored 7 of his 11 in the fourth. Golden routinely stepped up and made baskets at pivotal points in the quarter. “Brevin is a great player, but our other guys are not only capable, but they are also willing to make plays when the defense game plans against Brev” Krapcha said of his role players.

Brimble finished with 24 points for Doherty, and Daylen Kountz led all scorers with 28 points for Denver East. Joseph Abiakam and Jamison Washington both contributed 10 points for East.