Ten Best: 2017 Indiana-Kentucky Challenge Cup
The 2017 edition of the Challenge Cup between Indiana and Kentucky commenced at New Castle Fieldhouse on a very cold January 7th and the two states split the four game series. Below are our ten best players from the day…
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Continue ReadingThe 2017 edition of the Challenge Cup between Indiana and Kentucky commenced at New Castle Fieldhouse on a very cold January 7th and the two states split the four game series. Below are our ten best players from the day as well as the results and statistical leaders.
Game 1: Bardstown (KY) 65, West Washington (IN) 43
Game 2: Cloverdale (IN) 88, Frankin County (KY) 64
Game 3: Louisville Waggener (KY) 64, Oak Hill (IN) 61 OT
Game 4: Connersville (IN) 78, Louisville Ballard (KY) 67
Leading scorers: Jalen Moore 35 (Cloverdale), Cooper Neese 33 (Cloverdale), Spencer Ballinger 26 (Oak Hill), Noah Belt 20 (Connersville)Jacquess Hobbs 19 (Waggener), Santral Farmer 19 (Bardstown), Beau Isaacs 18 (Connersville),
Leading rebounders: Tre’jan Walls 13 (Bardstown), Cooper Neese 13 (Cloverdale), Grant Smith 12 (Connersville), Jacquess Hobbs 10 (Waggener), Cobie Montgomery 10 (Waggener)
Co-MVP: Cooper Neese (Cloverdale)
Neese was on fire for Cloverdale in the first quarter scoring 18 points on 6/6 from the floor including 4/4 from behind the arc. Neese finished with 33 points all in the first three quarters. Neese got teammates involved and went 7/10 from behind the arc. Ended the game with 13 rebounds for a double-double.
Co-MVP: Grant Smith (Connersville)
I have to go with co-mvp’s when two guys put up the numbers that Neese and Smith did today. Smith filled up the stat sheet with what I think was the first triple double I have seen this year. He was wowing the crowd with some of the passes he was making when Ballard was pressing. Smith kept his head up and found the open guy streaking down the court. He rebounded really well and shot decent from the floor but struggled at the line going
Best offensive performance: Jalen Moore (Cloverdale)
Moore was almost as good as Neese overall but wasn’t quite as good. He was however better on the offensive side of the ball. Moore didn’t force anything and looked really good shooting the ball. He was consistently going up straight and was 12/23 from the floor for 35 points. He really got to the basket well and finished through the huge amount of contact he drew.
Best defensive performance: Daydrian Allen (Bardstown)
Allen was the best defensive player that I saw all day long and it wasn’t even close. He had five steals and two blocks and really just completely shut down the West Washington attack. He is a quick and very smart defender and didn’t get beat very often.
Play of the day: Jacquess Hobbs steals the ball and lays it in to seal the Waggener win
Waggener just took a one point lead over Oak Hill with 13 seconds to go in overtime. Hobbs put two more points on the board to stretch that to a three point lead with seven seconds left on the clock. The three point lead forced Oak Hill to throw up a shot at the buzzer which missed.
Best underclassman: Jared Courtney (Franklin County)
Courtney was one of the top performers for Franklin County and he is just a freshman. He scored 11 points as the first guy off the bench. His midrange jumper was working really well and he shifted through the lane nice for a guy of his age.
Best under-the-radar performance: Clivontae Patterson (Ballard)
Patterson was the best player on the court for Ballard as the only consistent player. He scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Patterson is a very athletic wing who likes to shoot from the top of the key and drive as well. Patterson didn’t play much but he still made an impact.
Best shooter: Beau Isaacs (Connersville)
Isaacs is a solid shooter from the stretch four position. He has some weight on him but uses it well and it doesn’t really affect his game at all. He loves the corner and when the guards drive he’s usually open on the wing. He shot 4/6 from deep today and made some very clutch shots.
Best college potential: Jamil Wilson (Ballard)
Wilson is an unsigned senior getting looks from MM’s. He is a quick lead guard that needs to work on his shot a bit. He only played 16 minutes today with foul trouble and complete line switches. He scored four points but you can see that he is a student of the game.
Best team today: 4A Connersville came away with a huge win over 6A Louisville Ballard in a convincing 78-67 win. Four players scorer 16 or more points for Connersville in the big win. It was a great performance over a state power from Kentucky.