Oak Hill Falls To St. Benedict 68-62

Jackson

Echenique

Bryant

Last night, # 1 ranked Oak Hill Academy lost to #9 St. Benedict 68-62 in a nationally televised game on ESPN. The game featured two of the top players in the class of 2008 in Brandon Jennings (Oak Hill) and Samardo Samuels (St. Benedict). Both players played solid but not outstanding games. Jennings scored a season-low 21 points. The Arizona bound PG is averaging almost 40 per so when you look at it like that, he had an "off- night." Samuels, a Louisville signee, had a quiet night with 10 points and 13 boards. Although both players didn't play outstanding basketball, it's easy to see why they're ranked at the top of their class. While Jennings and Samuels were the stars of last night's match up, their supporting cast stepped up with impressive play. The player that stood out the most to me was St. Benedict's Jr. guard Tamir Jackson. He can knock the three down and create off the dribble. He makes good decisions with the ball on the break and has a knack for finding the open man when he penetrates. St. Benedict's Gregory Echenique, a 6'8 Jr. from Venezuela, played solid on the boards and will be a player to watch in the 09 class. Oak Hill's Glenn Bryant is arguably the most athletic player on the team. He attacks the basket and plays above the rim. Another player that showed promise was Oak Hill big man Keith Gallon. The 330 lb center (built like Glen "Big Baby" Davis) has great footwork down low on the block and made a move last night that was reminiscent of Hakeem Olajuwon. All in all, it was a great night of basketball.