Ten Best: Salina South-Goodland
Ten Best: Salina South-Goodland
SALINA — The host Salina South shook off its No. 8 seed and posted a 55-44 upset win over top-seeded Goodland in the opening round of the Salina Invitational Tournament on Thursday.
With the win, Salina South improves to 2-8 this season and will next face No. 5 seeded Andover who knocked off Abilene in its first round game on Thursday.
Here, Prep Hoops takes a look at ten things that stood out about Thursday’s contest.
MVP: Joey Wilson (Salina South). A 6’1 2018 guard, Wilson scored a game-high 12 points and showed some versatility as he did a little bit of everything at both ends of the floor. He largely plays off the ball while Conner Munsell and Devon Junghans handle ball handling duties. Wilson can shoot from the outside as he made two 3-pointers on Thursday and can also take the ball to the basket.
Best offensive performance: Dawson Raymer (Goodland). Raymer probably didn’t have his best night shooting the basketball, but he does so much for Goodland at the offensive end it’s hard not say he was the most important offensive player on the floor on Thursday. Raymer handles the ball, creates offense off the dribble and can get to the basket off the bounce. He makes a lot of things happen at the offensive end of the floor, but didn’t have his best performance shooting the ball and finished with 12 total points.
Best defensive performance: Peyton Sieck (Goodland). A 7’0 2018 center, Peyton Sieck impacts a game with his shot blocking abilities around the basket. On Thursday, Sieck finished with seven points, eight rebounds and a game-high five blocked shots. He can get pushed around in the paint by bigger, stronger players, but he is still difficult for opposing players to shoot over the top of.
Best rebounding performance: Elex Blanks (Goodland). We had him for six rebounds, almost all of which came at the offensive end of the court, and while that didn’t lead either team, Blanks hard work and physical play in the paint was a big difference in the game. He proved to be tough for a slender Sieck to handle around the basket.
Best off the bench: Mark Rodriguez (Goodland). A 6’1 2019 forward, Rodriguez came off the bench and provided a huge performance for the Cowboys, scoring eight points and hauling in seven key rebounds. Rodriguez is a hard working player who brings hustle to the court.
Best off the bench part II: Isaac Mitchell (Salina South). Mitchell is a strong, physical 6’5 2019 post player and he scored 11 key points in the paint and hauled in four rebounds. He features good hands and a soft shooting touch around the basket and showcased a nice spin move in the post to free himself for open looks in the paint.
Best young player: AJ Johnson (Salina South). This one wasn’t close as AJ Johnson, a 6’3 2021 wing player, put together a terrific performance off the bench for the Cougars, scoring 10 points, hauling in a game-high eight rebounds and throwing down a two-handed dunk on a steal and breakaway that helped spark Salina South in the third quarter.
Name to remember: Devon Junghans (Salina South). Another freshman for the Cougars, the 5’9 guard got the start for Salina South and while he didn’t put up big scoring numbers, he brought a calm, steady hand to the backcourt and proved to be a strong ball handler. Junghans connected on five free throws in the fourth quarter as the Cougars held on for a win.