New Franklin: Having a smart point guard with a high basketball IQ is essential to success in high school basketball.
Having two is a luxury.
And after Christian Cheatham and Jourdain Roberts-Lane seemed to do no wrong in Norton’s 63-60 road victory over Manchester on Tuesday night, perhaps no coach looks to be in as lavish a position as Rod Swartz.
“Both of them played a complete game tonight,” Swartz said after the young duo helped hold off a late Manchester rally. “They made very good decisions, they knew when to push it, when to pull it out and when to finish with drives. The intelligence really showed tonight. They are starting to understand how the game needs played.”
Even with a nearly mistake-free game from their star guards, Norton’s fourth consecutive win did not come without drama. After seven quick points from sophomore Dominick Reinart to start the fourth quarter earned Norton a 59-50 advantage, Nick Beans drilled a 3-pointer to stop the bleeding and spark a 10-2 run to pull Manchester within one with two minutes remaining. Roberts-Lane answered with an assist to Dylan Marks off a back cut to increase the lead to 63-60 with 45 seconds left, setting the stage for a spectacular finish.
Though Manchester rarely missed from 3-point range all game, the Panthers rimmed out four 3-pointers in the final seconds, allowing Norton (7-2) to escape with a win.
“That last possession, we did not play with very good intelligence,” Swartz said. “After we took a timeout, we told them don’t give up a 3. We had fouls to give. We didn’t execute and they had multiple shots at it.”
Norton seemed to have a handle on the game heading into the half. Roberts-Lane and Cheatham drove the lane at will and made the correct decisions when needed. If the defense didn’t step up, they nailed the pull-up jumper. If the weak side man helped, they dished it off underneath. They led Norton to a 34-26 lead at halftime, with Roberts-Lane scoring 10 of his team-high 16 in the first half.
Manchester (3-3) stayed within reach thanks to the long ball. The host Panthers drilled five 3-pointers in the first half before nailing six in the second half. Senior captain Danny Grizer made five 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 17 points. Nick Beans and JoJo France added 13 apiece for Manchester.
Even though they made 11 3-pointers, the home team could not make the crucial shot when it mattered most. Meanwhile, Norton notched another road win, its seventh of the season away from home. Winning in tough environments with such a young, inexperienced roster is encouraging for Swartz, who couldn’t stop praising his guys.
“To come on the road and battle through things and deal with a little bit of game adversity is growing up,” Swartz said. “It is taking things in the right direction and I just hope we keep taking strides.”
If Roberts-Lane and Cheatham continue to be leaders and value the basketball, Swartz shouldn’t fret.
