Santa Fe v. Eastside: #TheRAWEFive
By Jerome Reed:
On Thursday night, the Rams hosted the Raiders in a hard-fought Class 4A-District 5 matchup that went to OT. Santa Fe pulled out the win, 59-51. Check out the hoopers who made an impact on the floor in this edition of #TheRAWEFive.
Ernest Ross - Santa Fe: The 6’9” senior N.C. State-signee put his foot on the gas from the jump, using his midrange jumper to keep the Rams at-bay, along with being able to take contact on the way to the rim & hit the and-one floater. He’s developed a nice spin move off-the-drive. You can tell he’s been working on ball-handling, as well. On defense, his timing for blocking shots is top tier. He finished with a game-high 28 points on the night.
Omar Brown - Eastside: This is Omar’s first year with “The ‘Side”, and he’s definitely making his presence, felt. The senior guard scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, helping surge an Eastside comeback and force overtime vs. the Raiders. Brown did a great job of getting into the paint, hitting the lay, and drawing fouls. He also sank three deep-balls on the night. Look out for Brown, this season.
Don’Trell Jenkins - Santa Fe: Jenkins is just a sophomore, but his tenacity gives him big “senior-leader” vibes. The point guard came out the gate hot vs. Eastside, scoring seven of his 13 points in the first quarter by-way of the midrange jumper. His dribble-drive into the paint forces defenders to collapse, which opens the door for teammates to get shots off, as well. During the fourth and OT, he hit one trey-ball & went 3/4 from the FT line. This helped the Raiders seal a quality road win. Jenkins will be pivotal for Santa Fe, this year.
Jarvy Gainey - Eastside: Other than Ross, Gainey is the only player on this list that scored in EVERY period, including overtime. The senior wing is an aggressive driver to the cup, and can shoot the three with confidence—hitting two on the night. In a game where free-throws truly mattered, Gainey did his best to help his Rams while going 5/5 from the stripe. He finished with 16 points. A solid on-ball defender on the defensive end, Jarvy will be another instrumental piece to Eastside’s success as the season, marches.
Mason Brown - Santa Fe: This kid right here has an extreme amount of promise. Only a sophomore, Brown stands 6’5” on the wing and is a tough guy to try and dribble, past. His hands stay active, and he great a forcing turnovers that lead into fast-break layups. On offense, Brown can take it to the rack and get a bucket. He gave the Raiders seven points on the night, but I can tell he’s capable of more. Keep an eye on him.