SEMO Conference Tournament: Final Day Standouts
On Friday night, I ventured down South to take in the final day of the SEMO Conference Tournament, which was held at Sikeston. In the championship game, No. 1 seed Sikeston defeated Jackson 67-35. Charleston defeated Poplar Bluff 67-62 in…
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Continue ReadingOn Friday night, I ventured down South to take in the final day of the SEMO Conference Tournament, which was held at Sikeston. In the championship game, No. 1 seed Sikeston defeated Jackson 67-35. Charleston defeated Poplar Bluff 67-62 in the third-place game while Cape Notre Dame defeated New Madrid Central 73-63 for the consolation championship.
Here were some of the top individual standouts from that final day at SEMO:
Fred Thatch, Jr. 6’4″ Sikeston (2018): The physical swingman scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Bulldogs to an easy victory in the championship game. Thatch’s combination of power, athleticism and improving skill level makes him one of the toughest covers in the state. He opened up the game with a couple of 3-pointers. He is also a relentless rebounder. Thatch has been seen by Saint Louis U. and Arkansas in the past week.
Kevin Jones 5’10” 2019 Sikeston (2019): The high-energy guard scored 13 points in the championship game. Jones plays with a relentless passion on both ends of the court, but the biggest improvement of his game has come in his perimeter shooting. Jones hit three 3-pointers in the game, including a pair at the end of the first half to break the game open. His motor never stops.
Mardareyon Clark 6’4″ Charleston (2018): The long, lanky combo forward scored 19 points to lead the Bluejays to a third-place win over Poplar Bluff. Clark has improved his skill level in all facets of the game. He has a smooth post game with a nice shooting touch around the rim. Clark is also handling the ball more and make mid-range jumpers.
Willie Lucas 6’6″ Poplar Bluff (2017): The smooth lefty combo forward scored 20 points in the third-place game against Charleston. Lucas has a nice stroke from 3-point range, but he also did a good job of getting to the basket and getting buckets on post-ups. He got himself to the free throw line quite often. Lucas is getting interest from schools ranging from NAIA to Division II.
Latrell Porter 6’1″ Charleston (2019): The young combo guard came up big in Charleston’s third-place win with 17 points and some timely perimeter shooting. Porter was five of six from 3-point range. He also did a fine job of handling the ball against pressure defense.
Dawson Dohogne 6’4″ Cape Notre Dame (2018): The beefy post player scored 29 points in Notre Dame’s consolation championship victory. His post-game is textbook in terms of fundamentals. He gets good position, catches the ball well and finishes. He scored 22 points in the first half to stake Notre Dame to a big lead. He also stepped out and knocked down a couple of 12-15 footers, which is new to his game.
Cameron Hester 6’7″ Jackson (2017): A big, physical post player who scored 11 points in the championship game. There’s very little finesse in Hester’s game. He has nice post moves around the basket and he wants to dunk the ball at any opportunity around the rim. He still has a few rough edges, but he is well on his way to becoming an excellent post player.
Jarvarcus Word 5’8″ New Madrid (2017): An exciting little guard, Word was the top scorer of the entire night with 34 points, including 29 in the second half. New Madrid trailed by 27 points, but Word led a near-miracle rally when they cut the lead to three points. He plays at a fast pace and attacks the basket at every opportunity. He can score through contact and has flashed an improved stroke from 3-point range.
Jacob Friess 6’2″ Jackson (2017): The combo guard was one of Jackson’s bright spots in the championship game with 14 points. With three key players sitting out, Friess did his best to keep his team in the game early with some early 3-point shooting and good work in transition. Showed some good leadership in a time of adversity for his team.
Trey Jenkins 6’6″ Sikeston (2019) – The young post player did an excellent job in the championship game as he scored 12 points on six-for-six shooting from the field. He did an excellent job of finishing in the lane and I liked his use of the backboard. Trey is also a good shot blocker with excellent timing, which keeps him from fouling.