Plainfield vs Linden

A Fanatic Summation of the Plainfield vs. Linden Game

 

Plainfield lost their 1st game to a public school from New Jersey since late February of 2011 by the score of 60-41.   Oddly enough that defeat came by the hands of the Linden Tigers.

Plainfield actually was very close in every statistical category with the exception of 2 areas.  Lets take a look at where Plainfield competed with the best public school in the county, the Linden Tigers.

3-point Shooting – Advantage (Linden)

Linden connected on 5 3-pointers while Plainfield connected on 3. 

Assists – Advantage (Linden)

Linden dished out 12 assists while Plainfield dished out 10.

Steals – Advantage (Plainfield)

Plainfield picked up 7 steals compared to Linden’s 6.  Plainfield’s Christian Cook picked up a game high 3 steals.

Free Throw Shooting – Advantage (Plainfield)

Plainfield converted 12 free throws compared to Linden’s 11.  Both teams shot very well from the free throw line.  Plainfield shot 12 of 15 (80%) while Linden shot a perfect 11 of 11.

Rebounds – Advantage (Linden)

Linden grabbed 22 rebounds while Plainfield grabbed 21. 

Block Shots – Advantage (Plainfield)

Plainfield rejected 7 shot attempts compared to Linden’s 4 rejections.

 

Up until this point, Plainfield was even with Linden in statistical category advantage.  Plainfield held the advantage in Steals, Free Throw’s made and block shots.  Linden held the advantage in assists, 3-pointers made, and Rebounds.  The following categories are where Linden won the game.

Turnovers – Advantage (Linden)

Linden committed 12 turnovers compared to Plainfield’s 19.  Plainfield committed 13 unforced turnovers.  In equation to point total, this comes out to 13 possessions without a shot attempt or a possible total of 26 points.  This would have given Plainfield a 7-point advantage for the game.

Points in the Paint – Advantage (Linden)

This was the decisive statistical category that gave Linden the victory.  Linden was lights out with their midrange jump shooting.  Linden made 17 field goals below the arc/in the paint compared to Plainfield’s 10. The amount of shot attempts by both teams were only a +3 advantage for Linden but the Tigers shot 53% compared to Plainfield’s 35%.  Basically, the game came down to knocking down shots.  Linden proved to be most efficient tonight.

 

The Cardinal Fanatic Efficiency Players of the game

1)      Linden – Sophomore Joshua Carter 6’1” – {ER-24}

Is Carter the next Desmond Wade?  To be mentioned in the same sentence even if it is a question is complementary.  Carter led all scorers dropping 16 points on 60% shooting from the field and knocking down 4 of 4 free throws.  The guard also grabbed a game high 7 rebounds, picked up 2 steals and dropped off an assist.  Carter only committed 1 turnover from his guard position.  Off of this statistical performance, the Cardinal Fanatic will say that Carter should be in the discussion of the next talented guard out of Linden. 

2)      Linden – Sophomore Juwan Jones 6’1” – {ER-21}

Union County is filled with young guards this year and now JJ has put his name in the mix because he was … DYNAMITE!!!  Amazingly Jones teamed up with fellow Sophomore Carter for a combined 2 turnovers for the game.  With that type of play from your guards, a team will always be in the game.  Jones scored in double figures shooting 100% from below the arc.  Jones also grabbed 3 rebounds, picked up a steal and dished out a game high 5 assists.  Jones had a very impressive 5:1 assist to turnover ratio.  Jones may want his name thrown into the discussion of the next talented guard out of Linden also.

3)      Plainfield – Junior Najee Lucky 5’11” – {ER-18}

With the absence of senior guard Wade Brown, Lucky has taken advantage of his playing time.  Najee scored in double figures shooting perfect from below the arc and 50% from beyond the arc. Najee also has shown for the last 2 games that he is not shy to bang with the big boys down low as he grabbed 4 rebounds.  Najee also dished out a team high 4 assists.  Najee also had an impressive night from his point guard position having a 4:1 assist to turnover ratio.  This is arguably more impressive than what is on paper because this type of efficiency was against one of the best defensive team in the state.

4)      Plainfield – Senior Denzel Christian 6’6” – {ER-15}

Denzel had the toughest task of all Cardinals.  His defensive effort against 6’9” Quadri Moore was complementary.  Denzel was able to hold the talented big man to 33% shooting from the floor.  Denzel scored a team high 13 points and was perfect from the foul line.  Denzel also grabbed a team high 6 rebounds and dished out an assist.

5)      Linden – Sophomore Juwan Dolbrice 6’1” – {ER-14}

The football standout used his football physique to take the ball to the rim.  Juwan would score in double digits knocking down 80% of his shot attempts.  Dolbrice also grabbed 2 rebounds, picked up a steal and dished out 2 assists.  The trio of sophomore guards of Linden may not be a pleasant site for oppositions for years to come.

Other note worthy performances

Linden – Senior Cairo Brown 6’1” – {ER-13}

Downtown Cairo Brown was sizzling from deep.  Brown knocked down a perfect 3 of 3 from deep.  Brown also grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 2 assists.

Plainfield – Sophomore Ahmad Baker 6’8” – {ER-12}

Baker shot 67% from the field and was perfect from the foul line.  Ahmad also grabbed 3 rebounds, dished out an assist and rejected a game high tying 3 shot attempts (Linden’s Quadri Moore also with 3 rejections).

Linden – Junior Quadri Moore 6’9” – {ER-11}

For Q this was a bad night for his standards.  But his presence on the floor opened up the exceptional guard play of the Tigers.  With out his presence in the middle, Linden would not be undefeated at this point in the season.  Moore was perfect from the foul line, grabbed 6 rebounds, picked up 2 steals, dropped off 2 assists and rejected a game high tying 3 shot attempts.

 

The efficiency rating is base on points scored, shooting accuracy, foul shooting accuracy, rebounds, assists, steals, defensive intensity, and assist – turnover ratio.