Scouting Republic Tournament: Belton vs. Rolla
REPUBLIC TOURNAMENT: Belton 73, Rolla 58 REPUBLIC — The first round of the eight-team Republic Tournament got underway on Monday with a pair of games. Belton, from the Kansas City area, ran away with a 73-58 win over Rolla, a team…
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Continue ReadingREPUBLIC TOURNAMENT: Belton 73, Rolla 58
REPUBLIC — The first round of the eight-team Republic Tournament got underway on Monday with a pair of games. Belton, from the Kansas City area, ran away with a 73-58 win over Rolla, a team that has gone 50-6 over the past two seasons but has replaced a large number of seniors over that time.
Belton, coached by former Springfield Hillcrest coach John Schaefer, used a big second quarter to pull away from Rolla and cruise to the win.
Scouting report
Belton Pirates: Team has a nice nucleus of guards in seniors Joe Lind (6’1), Kortni Kaith (5’11) and 2018 Jaden Clark (6’4). The team doesn’t really have a post presence per say, but has some athleticism on the perimeter and several players that can knock down outside shots.
Rolla Bulldogs: Team has potential to carve out another good season, but they have a slew of young players who are playing varsity basketball for the first time. They tried to used a fullcourt press on Monday, with varying degrees of success, turning over Belton on occasion, but giving up easy baskets on the back end as well. They will need 2018s Josh Pritchell and Nick Janke to play better than they did on Monday to be successful. The two combined for 15 points against Belton.
MVP: Jaden Clark, Belton. Clark is a strong, physical player with athletic ability. He had Belton’s first 10 points in the second half and finished with 21 total. He can handle the ball a little on the perimeter and is strong getting to the basket.
Top performers
Jaden Clark, 6’4, F/G, 2018, Belton
Joe Lind, 6’1, G, 2017, Belton
Kortni Kaith, 5’11, G, 2017, Belton
Lonnie Harrell, 6’1, G, 2017, Belton
Zac Burns, 6’4, F, 2017, Rolla
Brandon Cunningham, 5’10, G, 2017, Rolla
Josh Pritchett, 6’3, G, 2018, Rolla
Play of the night: Lind and Kaith combining for six 3-pointers in the first half for Belton, giving the Pirates a big first-half cushion.
Best guy off the bench: Curtis Martin, 5’10 2019 guard had some good moments scoring eight points off the bench for the Bulldogs.
Name you should know: Jaden Clark, 6’4, F/G, 2018, Belton