10 Best: Mt. Carmel vs Edwards County
PrepHoopsIllinois was in the house Friday night at the Flora 2A Regional Championship where we saw Mt. Carmel take on Edwards County. Mt. Carmel is led by a duo quality posts and strong guard play. They are a team that…
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Continue ReadingPrepHoopsIllinois was in the house Friday night at the Flora 2A Regional Championship where we saw Mt. Carmel take on Edwards County. Mt. Carmel is led by a duo quality posts and strong guard play. They are a team that has aspirations of making a run to Peoria. Edwards County hung with them early as they only trailed by a 35-30 margin at the half. The second half the Aces put the gas down and didn’t let up. Mt. Carmel got the win 78-51 to capture the regional championship. Check out our 10 Best: Mt. Carmel vs Edwards County to see who shined in this game.
MVP
C Jackson Marcotte (Mt Carmel – 2018)
Marcotte was a beast in this game. The post showed his complete game. At probably about 6’7” Marcotte has slimmed down some from what we remembered last year. With that his mobility has greatly improved which is a factor on both ends of the floor. Kid plays physical. Marcotte seals well in the post working great as a finisher in the high/low game. Shows solid footwork one some spin moves in the paint. Moves well in the pick and roll as he sets a strong screen and rolls to the hoop. Quality offensive rebounder that has a feel for where it is coming off the rim. Soft hands and touch in the paint. Decent passing post. Defensively he contests shots inside and even gets a hand up when his man goes on the perimeter. Athleticism could improve. Marcotte projects as a D2+/possible low-major prospect. He had 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Play of the game
The play of the game was Justin Carpenter’s step back three to close the third quarter.
Best offensive performance
PG Brayden Stipp (Mt. Carmel – 2018)
Stipp was the breakout perimeter player in the second half. The 6’0” junior point guard wasn’t hitting his shots early in the game, but got it rolling in the third quarter. Drilled a pair of threes and attacked in the rim in transition well. He went for 16 points. Small college prospect.
Best rebounder
PF Justin Carpenter (Mt. Carmel – 2017 – SEMO)
Carpenter is one of the top post players in the state’s senior class. At 6’7” he has size, athleticism, and skill to be a very good four man at the next level for SEMO. It was obvious from the beginning that Edwards County’s game plan was to not let Carpenter beat them. He was double and triple teamed on every single possession. He wasn’t frustrated by it. Found his shooters and moved the ball to get them better looks. Carpenter rebounded at a high rate in this contest. Good timing when grabbing boards. Second half he started to get things rolling offensively. Baseline spin opened things up. He had a monster dunk that got the crowd into and kind of made it clear that there wasn’t going to be an upset on this night. That dunk picked up his energy level and he closed the third quarter with a sick step back three. Didn’t shoot it particularly well in this game, but he has a clean stroke for a four man and should be an effective pick and pop threat at the college level. Moves well laterally on defense and will be able to defend in a ball screen at the next level. Once he adds strength he should be an outstanding player for SEMO. Carpenter had 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Best passer
G Cade Schnicker (Edwards County – 2019)
Like the toughness that this 6’1” point guard brings to the table. Plays with a quality basketball IQ and is a creative finisher in the lane. Had a couple of runners and transition finishes. Good passer. Sophomore is one to track at the small college level.
Best catch and shoot guy
PG Brett Doan (Mt. Carmel – 2019)
Doan was the man that got it rolling early in this one. The 6’2” lefty guard drilled four triples off the catch. Quick and compact stroke. Was able to find the vacated spot in the defense and was ready to let it fly when the ball was swung to him. Also mixed in a couple drives. Finished with 14 points. Small college player down the line.
Best intangibles
PF Nathaniel Schmittler (Edwards County – 2017)
Schmittler is a 6’5” power forward that has solid length and is not a bad athlete. Showed some mobility on the interior. Had a good high/low finish that he sealed his man off and an up and under score. Bad free throw stroke and can’t shoot it. Possible very small college prospect. He had 6 points.
Best under-the-radar performance
SG Bobby Brake (Edwards County – 2017)
Brake stands at 6’2” with the ability to hit some shots from the perimeter. Hit a pair of threes including banking one in. Finished with 10 points.
Underclassmen to Watch
G Austin Rager (Mt. Carmel – 2019)
Rager has great size and length at 6’3”. Liked what we saw out of him as a freshman and was hoping he would take that next big step forward. He didn’t show tremendous growth in his game. Played more of a complimentary role to the other guards. Had a couple plays at the rim in the second half. Finished with 7 points. Potential still there with size and athleticism to be a small college prospect down the line.
G Cade Rivers (Edwards County – 2019)
Rivers is a 6’0” combo guard that was active rebounding from the guard spot as he was sneaky getting on the offensive glass for put backs.