10 Best: Fort Dodge (61), Des Moines Lincoln (49)
Des Moines — Fort Dodge is putting a pretty decent product on the floor this season, and senior Solomon Clayton is leading the charge. The 6’3 forward was sensational this past summer, and that has carried over to the regular…
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Continue ReadingDes Moines — Fort Dodge is putting a pretty decent product on the floor this season, and senior Solomon Clayton is leading the charge. The 6’3 forward was sensational this past summer, and that has carried over to the regular season. He was by far the best player on the floor tonight in the Dodgers’ wire-to-wire shellacking of the Rails, and he finished with a game-high 18 points to go with a slew of boards, steal and blocks.
Will Feller was not in the starting lineup for the Rails, according to a Twitter response to the inquiry, he was “in the doghouse” with head coach Justin Einerson. Feller did come in and hit a couple corner triples in the first half, but even if he would have started, this game would have still been a blowout. Ayoub Deng was good for the Rails, the senior point guard finished with a team-high 11 points.
Team Scoring
Fort Dodge: 16 19 13 13 — 61
Lincoln: 6 15 5 23 — 49
Individual Scoring
Fort Dodge: Solomon Clayton 18, Malcolm Clayton 14, Trey Mosley 7, Austin Gehlhausen 6, Jonny Bowser 10, Joe Artis 4, Jordan Jackson 3, Brady Read 2, Jace Peterson 2
Lincoln: Ayoub Deng 14, Will Feller 10, Byron Williams 7, Nick Oliver 7, Brandon Tukes 4, Alan Hoover 4, Brock Newton 3
MVP: Solomon Clayton
This was a no-brainer, and it was exactly what we expected coming into the game. Solomon Clayton was the biggest, strongest, most athletic player on the court. His steal and breakaway slam in the third quarter was his highlight of the game.
Play of the Game: Brock Newton half court shot, beautifully done
His Rails were already well into their lashing at the hands of Fort Dodge, but senior guard Brock Newton gave his teammates a reason to celebrate going into half when he heaved a perfectly thrown half-court shot. The net seemed to erupt when the ball went through — it was beautifully done.
Best Offensive Performance: Solomon Clayton
He was scoring at will, and he had a game-high 18 points. Though we know he has an outside shot in his arsenal, he never used it tonight. All 18 came from at the hoop or the free-throw line.
Best Defensive Performance: Solomon Clayton
He was so much better than the competition today that he gets the offensive and defensive award. His wingspan was disruptive in the middle of the Dodgers’ zone, and his defensive instincts are a cut above the rest. He had a huge block of Lincoln’s Deng setting the tone in the first quarter (it was called a foul, but still a tone-setter).
Best Underclassmen: Jace Peterson
A sophomore, Jace Peterson did show some flashes of why he should earn this honor, but mostly he gets it by default; he was the only underclassmen to score. He showed some nice handle and poise under pressure, and should be a key player for the Dodgers, especially next year and the year after.
Best Shooter: Trey Mosley
The junior Fort Dodge guard did not shoot a lot, but when he did it went in. He showed an ability to hit a deep ball and a mid-range, and is a nice third scoring option for the Dodgers behind the Clayton brothers.
Best Rebounder: Solomon Clayton
Yep, another post-game award for Iowa’s 30th-ranked 2017. We weren’t keeping rebound stats, but we are pretty sure that the senior forward had a game-high to go along with his 18 points.
Best Player off the Bench: Will Feller
This one’s a bit misleading because Lincoln’s Will Feller would normally be in the starting lineup. We’re not sure exactly why he wasn’t in there tonight, but he came off the bench and scored 10 points, including back-to-back triples that bridged the first and second quarters.
Best Intangibles: Ayoub Deng
We probably could have gone with Clayton again here, his midair toss off a Lincoln player while leaping out of bounds to retain possession was an indicator of his innate hoops savvy, but we’re giving this to Rails guard Ayoub Deng instead. The long and athletic senior brings a certain athleticism and swagger to the Rails that will be critical to the team’s success the remainder of this season.
Story to Watch: Clayton’s Recruitment
We did not see any college coaches in attendance tonight, but Solomon Clayton is a kid that could at the very least compete at the NAIA level, and could probably be seriously recruited by Division II programs. Area JuCo programs should be after this kid hard.