Class B State Tournament: Warner still undefeated, will play for title
Why Warner is moving on over Potter County. Around the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter the Warner ball movement tired and dizzied the Battlers. Monarchs were able to move behind the Potter County…
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Continue ReadingWhy Warner is moving on over Potter County. Around the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter the Warner ball movement tired and dizzied the Battlers. Monarchs were able to move behind the Potter County defense for backside putbacks, backdoor cuts, and quick ball movement hitting cutters off backside screens (one of them was a flex screen).
Four different players scored during this run and then the Battlers started getting stuck in screens and then who hurt them badly? The same guy that hurt them all night long, Tyler Rozell.
When a guy is that hot and a team can’t focus on getting a hand up on his touch because of the threat of ball movement to the rim as well as a big like Michael Rogers chances of a win are thin. It was a well played game overall but late in the contest the team play of Warner on the offensive end just wore out their opponents.
Warner
Micah Hoellein. Love the junior guard’s versatility at 6-foot-2. Rebounded strong (had seven), excellent passer within the offensive framework (four assists) simply moving the basketball to the right spots within the halfcourt set. Excellent system player for Warner who has a lot of room to grow.
Ethan Westby. One of the guys that Potter County had some many problems with moving without the basketball. The senior is a good sized 6-foot-2 who scored twice off the offensive glass and had four foul shots sunk after getting hit hard at the rim. Very good rebounder who secures position and faults to the carom.
Tyler Rozell. The junior 6-foot-2 shooter has a beautiful release when his feet are set and on balance. Made four treys and did an excellent job getting into space off the ball within the offense and making a tiring defense late to chase him. Scored 25 (we had him for 27 actually but that is beside the point) making a high percentage 10 of 14 shots overall. He was the other big difference in the game.
Michael Rogers. Love his baby hook after he gets position. Does a great job of securing and then leaning on the defense with a good knee bend to keep his spot. If he catches and turns on balance he can make that hook over just about anyone as long as the ball is delivered and he’s on balance. Had nine points, seven rebounds, and three blocks but did struggle with the length of Rease Logan. His biggest impact on the game is something you won’t see in the box score, and that is his defensive stature. There were only three recorded blocks but those blocks count as three or four times the defensive support on defensive possessions because the amount of shots that were released from 12 feet instead of 6 feet, 6 feet instead of 2, and so on, that made all the difference in the world.
Derek Jark. Listed at 6-foot-4 as a senior he plays even bigger than that. A wing span for days Jark is quick off his feet to the board using that length to snare the ball quickly and let’s not forget the deflections, steals, and nervousness he causes with that length. Add in an extreme motor and you have a player that does some of everything. He’s a guy that is always giving full effort on both ends and filled a box score up with a game high 11 rebounds, nine points, three blocks, and two steals.
Potter County
Rease Logan. The 6-foot-9 post is still pretty thin but much more agile than we thought. Has the ability to move with the ball on ball screens at the arc, does a good job helping over deep in the paint recovering in time as long as he’s not caught up in screens, and a much better defensive rebounder (had 10 boards) than expected because he’s more agile and quicker off his feet than expected.
Made 6 of 10 field goals and 3 of 4 foul shots for 15 points. Scored two of his foul shots late when Rogers was in foul trouble but overall I would say that when it came to Rease Logan versus Michael Rogers, Rease Logan had the individual upper hand although the overall match-up was even because Rogers did more defensively than Logan against the other players on the floor. But Logan was quick off his feet versus Rogers and really bothered his shot attempts.
Logan does need to develop his left hand. Scored on the left side with his right when Rogers was on the bench but Rogers forced him to misses on that side when Logan had to use the left. Overall this is a nice low post prospect that we need to add to the scholarship level of the rankings. Good potential when he adds core strength and quite agile with a nice touch.
Tanner Storer. A 5-foot-9 junior lead guard that scored 14 hitting four times at the arc and then scoring a fifth time with an acrobatic attacking finish. Tough kid who is sharp in his cuts and sharper with the touch when he moves off screens into space. Was the only player besides Logan that was consistently able to find space to score.