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Young Bluejays look to grow vs. experienced Bulldogs
Friday, December 6, 2024
Charleston High School sophomore Treshaun Schandon prepares to shoot a free throw against Dexter on Tuesday at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.
Tom Davis ~ TDavis@semoball.com
The Notre Dame boy’s basketball squad opened its regular season on Tuesday riding several seniors to a resounding 66-28 victory over Fredericktown. That won’t be a luxury for Charleston, as it hosts the Bulldogs tonight at 7:30 p.m.
The Bluejays (0-2) feature three sophomores (Treshaun Schandon, De’Marion Lane, and Shilyn Henderson) and a freshman (Da’Kyrious Williams) in their starting lineup, along with senior post Deshaun Henderson.
In the case of Schandon, he appears to be improving by the outing.
“Treshaun shoots it well,” veteran Bluejay coach Jamarcus Williams said after his team fell 62-54 at Dexter on Tuesday.
Schandon buried three 3-pointers against the Bearcats, but he was also effective along the baseline, as he scored a game-high 19 points.
“He is starting to crash the boards a lot more,” Williams said. “His confidence is through the roof right now.”
Schandon hit a couple of long shots early, which allowed Charleston to take a quick lead, but the Bluejays’ youth showed as the Bearcats were able to rally and eventually overtake the visitors.
“Our decision-making weakened throughout the game,” Williams said.
The Dexter defense limited Schandon to just four combined points in the second and third quarters, but he was able to score seven points in the final eight minutes.
“He is going to be a leader,” Williams said. “He is already morphing into one before my eyes.
“I’m glad he’s only a sophomore.”
The Bluejays were effective against the Bearcats with their pressure defense. However, Schandon accounted for two of the missed eight free throws in the narrow loss, so that is an area of concern for Williams.
“I was explaining to the guys,” Williams said of his postgame locker room talk, “if we make four of those, at the end of the game when it is close, now you’re counting possessions.”
For the Bulldogs, they got 22 points from senior shooter Kolton Johnson in their season-opening win, including four 3-pointers, which wasn’t surprising.
Johnson set the Notre Dame record for career 3-pointers last season, so he adds to his record with each make.
“Our defense led to our offense,” Johnson told Semoball.com following the rout of the Blackcats. “My teammates finding me and getting me open got me hot early. So, I was clicking from there.”
Notre Dame senior Brett Dohogne tallied 11 points in the win to go with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Bulldog sophomore Hudson Dennis added eight points and six rebounds, while another Notre Dame veteran, senior Trenton Schumacker, grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
“Most of these guys I've been playing with since like fourth or fifth grade,” Johnson said. “So, I mean, we've always had a connection. We've been young, so we haven't been as experienced in the past. But this year we're looking forward to it more.”