Richard Rodgers Leads Top Ranked St. John's ShrewsburyFriday night's 69 -46 win over St. Bernard's makes it clear that St. John's Shrewsbury is the dominant team in Central Mass and the likely team to represent the Central part of the State come tournament time.
In a night when two of Central Mass top rated seniors Richard Rogers (St. John's) and John Henault (St. Bernard's) went at it, St. John's showed they have so much talent that they can withstand a punch. Henault, who is known for being one of the top shooters in the state had 18 of his 25 points in the first half, most from downtown for St. Bernard's (6-2, 0-2, in Central Mass. Conference), and eight of their 11 points in the second. Rodgers took over in the second half, pumping in 22 of his 25 points for the Pioneers (9-3, 3-0) including runs of eight straight points in the third quarter and nine straight in the final period to seal the victory. One must rember that the St. John's is undefeated in Central Mass and all three of their losses came out of the area in the Gonzaga Tournament in Washington D.C. Since that 0-3 start, the Pioneers are on a 9-0 run at home.
The Top Guns:
We have seen John Henault on may occasions and he can flat out shoot the basketball from behind the three point arc. He also has an exceptional one-dribble pull-up as he is able to use fake and create space with the dribble. Because he is a feared shooter, often his teammates benefit from the close coverage he receives. When we saw him the summer, we said he was a fundamentally sound on offense and has an excellent feel for the game.
Richard Rogers is an all purpose forward who can get it done in a variety of ways. His best stuff usually comes in transition type basketball game as he is very effective scoring around the basket. Rogers has a nice midrange game that include a sound pull-up jumper. Rodgers earned his 1,000th career point with a put-back early in the game this season .
