The holidays are over and things have settled back into a routine, which means Tuesday night is Game Night in the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA). We headed over to the east side of Orlando to watch the Academy of Central Florida host Specially Fit Academy out of Tampa.
Both teams have suffered some “personnel adjustments” over the holidays so there were some players we had hoped to see that have moved on. This gives some other players an opportunity to make their mark.
The first half of the opening nine-minute quarter had the teams playing evenly with ACF up just 14-11 with four minutes left. At that point, ACF caught fire from behind the arc, finishing the period off with a 10-1 run to double up Specially Fit 24-12 going into the second quarter.
Specially Fit made adjustments to stay competitive in the second period. They took better care of the basketball and began to make shots from behind the arc. While they didn’t draw any closer to ACF, Specially Fit kept the game within reach. At the break, the margin was fourteen, 44-30.
ACF took control in the third quarter. The defense stiffened up, forcing turnovers or bad shots that led to easy baskets. It was a difficult nine minutes for Specially Fit as ACF outscored them over the period 31-12 for a commanding 75-42 lead with one quarter left to play.
Give Specially Fit some credit as they didn’t back down. They worked hard at both ends of the court, took advantage of some lackadaisical play by ACF, and ultimately got the final margin down to a more respectable 94-70.
This was our first opportunity to see 6’2 sophomore Martay Barnes in action for the Academy of Central Florida. A top 25-30 sophomore in the country, Barnes is an exciting player at both ends of the floor. He has excellent speed and quickness with the ball in his hands, pushes the pace, is quick to find open teammates ahead of the defense, and makes good shot vs. pass decisions in both transition and half-court sets. Barnes continues to improve as a perimeter shooter and will only get better with time and practice. He excels at getting into the paint and either making tough shots in traffic, scoring over defenders, or assisting on baskets for teammates. Defensively he anticipates the passing lanes well, covers a lot of ground quickly when guarding the ball, and is disruptive when dialed in. He finished the game with 19 points.
Caleb Wilson, a 6’5 senior, came to Specially Fit during the holiday break and will be called upon to lift this group. He has very good size for the point guard spot, sees the floor well and gets the ball quickly to open teammates. Wilson is a crafty scorer and finisher around the basket. He has good footwork, scores creatively with either hand, and seldom gets rushed. He shoots the ball well from both sides of the arc and has a knack for taking what the defense gives him. Wilson plays either guard spot well which will allow him a lot of options when it comes to playing at the next level. Defensively he is solid, works hard to stay in front of the dribbler, and is quick to loose balls and long rebounds. Wilson led all scorers with 23 points.
The most pleasant surprise of the night came in the form of 6’9 sophomore Faillilou Mbange of ACF. He seems a bit more skilled than many of his compatriots that come over from Africa. He is long but has a frame that will fill out and gain strength sooner rather than later. Mbange showed a tenacity around the glass at both ends of the floor, a willingness to beat the defense down the court in transition and a decent touch around the basket. While much of his offense consists of opportunity points, he showed some good form from the foul line which offers some promise for perimeter shot making in the future. Mbange finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds in limited minutes.