Fab Five: Uplift vs Fenwick (3rd Place Game)
Fab Five: Uplift vs Fenwick (3rd Place Game)
Uplift 69 (10-3)
Fenwick 65 (10-2)
In the 3rd Place game at the 56th Annual Proviso West Holiday tournament Uplift outlasted Fenwick 69-65.
Both teams started off sluggish early on. Kansas commit and 2019 Uplift PG Markese Jacobs however found his rhythm starting out 4-5 from 3 point range in the first half. While Markese provided spark on the offensive end his older brother SIU commit Demarius Jacobs provided major help on the defensive end with some highlight reel blocks as Uplift took a 28-21 lead at the end of the half.
To start the 3rd Quarter the Jacobs brothers decided to switch roles as Damarius begin to attack the basket with some nice drives as well as mid-range jump shots, while Markese picked it up on defense getting steals in the passing lanes. However Fenwick would not roll over and the spark for them came from a Freshman Dj Stewart who had a great 2nd half to finish with 20 points for Fenwick.
In the end the late push from Dj Stewart and AJ Nixon wasn’t enough to get past Uplift and the talented guards of M. Jacobs, D Jacobs, Toraze Dobbs and Deion Jackson who all were scoring threats for Uplift.
MVP: Markese Jacobs (Uplift)
Jacobs lead all scorers with 21 points on 6-11 shooting going 4-7 from 3 point range and 5-6 from the foul line for an all-around solid performance. His 16 points in the first half really helped Uplift when the other guards were struggling early from the field.
Offensive Performances: Markese Jacobs (Uplift) DJ Stewart (Fenwick)
Jacobs only a sophomore started out strong with 16 points in the first and 21 overall but DJ Stewart’s performance to keep Fenwick in the game was just as impressive. Stewart a freshman wasn’t afraid of the stage going 7-11 from the field for 20 points including 14 second half points to rally Fenwick late.
Defensive Performance: Demarius Jacobs (Uplift)
The senior used his long arms to be a pest on defense all game. He had three highlight reel blocks in the first and helped limit Fenwick G Jacob Keller to just 2-9 shooting and only 5 points. Jacobs does a good job moving his feet on defense, and blocking shots without fouling.
Best Player off the bench: Dj Stewart (Fenwick)
The spark off the bench from Dj Stewart is what kept them in the game.
Biggest Takeaway:
Uplift is deep at guard and really talented there as well. They have a ton of scoring options from the Jacobs brothers to Dobbs and Deion Jackson. What they lack in size they make up with solid defense and spread you out on defense. Honorable mention would have to be the play of freshman DJ Stewart who will certainly be a young prospect to keep an eye on.