(64-62- Fredericksburg)

#0 Dominic Jones (Loudoun)

Jones did it all for Loudoun on both sides of the ball as he led the team in five different categories with 15 points (6-12 FGA, 1-3 3PA, 2-6 FTA), 12 rebounds (6 offensive) 3 assists, 4 steals and 1 block. He attacked the basket on direct line drives in both transition and the half court for layup attempts and to draw shooting fouls at the rim. In this game, Jones showed more touch from the perimeter by connecting on a couple of midrange pull along with showing no hesitation in knocking down his lone three pointer of the game with 15 seconds left that cut the Fredericksburg lead down to 63-62. I loved that Jones did not let misses affect his effort and focus on either end of the ball. Jones is making an early case to known as one of the best two-way players in the PYBL.

#23 Malik Stute (Loudoun)

After a quiet first quarter, Stute finished as the team’s co-leader in scoring (15 points on 4-10 FGA, 0-3 3PA) and assists (3). He continued to display a combination of a smooth skill set and poise while making several notable plays that include: a pull up elbow jumper, splitting the defense in the half court to connect on a floater in the lane and a double between the legs dribble then attack to draw the shooting foul at the rim on an isolation call. Stout was especially aggressive in the most crucial stretch of the game (last 4 minutes) where he was able to repeatedly score a field goal or get to the line (7-10 FTA for the game) as he attempted to will Loudoun to a victory. Stute continues to be the lead engine to Loudoun.

#10 Robby Matos (Fredericksburg)

Matos led the way for Fredericksburg with a game high 16 points (5-9 FGA, 2-3 3PA, 4-4 FTA). He flashed a smooth shooting stroke by knocking down a couple of catch and shoot threes that hit nothing but the net along with quickness and a creative handle to get to his spots on the floor. On the defensive end, Matos collected 3 steals and did an excellent job of staying low and in front of Stout on several possessions late in the game, which forced Stout to really work for his points. It was a solid opening game for Matos that he will look to build upon the rest of the PYBL season.

#0 Breydon Williams (Fredericksburg)

Williams played to his strengths by utilizing his combination of size, strength, height and direct line drive ability to create and absorb contact from defenders en route to scores at the rim and drawn fouls. He finished the game with 10 points on 3-8 FGA, 4-8 FTA to go along with 5 rebounds and 2 steals in 19 minutes. Nearly all of his offensive damage came in first half where he scored 9 of his 10 total points. Once Williams plays with a little more control (5 turnovers, 4 fouls), he will be an even bigger contributor for Fredericksburg.

#4 Brandon Hilliard (Fredericksburg)

Hilliard impressed with his feel for the game along with his combination of vision, passing ability

length, smooth lefty shooting stroke and the willingness to defend. Despite only finishing with 1 assist, it could have easily been 4 or 5 if some of his passes were converted. He made a few nice passes that got the crowd’s attention: a quick one hand line drive pass from the top of the key to the open man under the rim for a layup, threw a one hand scoop pass to the opposite side in transition for a layup attempt and made a strong two hand chest pass to his teammate going backdoor for another layup attempt. Hilliard played with effort defensively and utilized his length to pressure the ball and create turnovers including a steal from behind that led to him being fouled in transition on a layup attempt. Hilliard tallied 7 points on 1-4 FGA, 1-4 3PA, 4-4 FTA and appears poised for a more productive game stats wise.