Hardwood Classic (Kansas): Saturday Recaps
8:00: 16U — Iowa Intensity 71 vs Sacred Hoops 59
After pouring in 41 points in a narrow loss yesterday afternoon, Grinnell small forward Jake Hull scored 36 — this time in a win — against this South Dakota squad. Those are Garrett Sturtz-like numbers. Hull will certainly be seeing a bump in his ranking when the new 2020s are released this summer. A newcomer to the team (he wasn’t here yesterday), Emmett Roberts from Meskwaki Settlement School was utterly impressive while running the offense for Intensity, he’s got some blow-by ability to go with a tight handle. He changes the entire dynamic of this Intensity squad when he’s on the floor.
9:05: 17U — SW Iowa Select 65 vs SSA Elite White 55
Omaha shooting guard Nolan Benak was sniping and St. Albert big-man Jared Gast was dominant in the paint while helping the Iowa squad to an impressive win over a good SSA Elite unit. Benak, a 6’1 rising senior, canned six triples in the win and scored a game-high 20 points. Gast, who averaged 5.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season for St. Albert, was consistently dominant throughout, methodical in paint, en route to 19 points,
10:10: 17U — SC Bombers 62 vs Hoffman Hoops Academy 53
This Bombers squad is comprised of predominantly 2020 kids, yet they’re a tough out in the 17U division at this event. Sioux City East’s Jaleuqe Dunson is a big reason why. The 6’3 wing pieced together and eye-opening performance in this one, scoring a game-high 17 points and doing just about everything else imaginable to help his team get the W. Dunson averaged 6.5 points per game last season as a sophomore on 4A state qualifier Sioux City East, look for his role to increase dramatically next winter for the Black Raiders. South Dakota guard Maxwell Meyer was good for the Bombers, he scored 15. Another Black Raider, Jack Peterson was playing well, he chipped in with 13 points.
11:15: 16U — MOKAN Select 62 vs SW Iowa Select 20
There was not much intrigue in this one, it was utterly dominated by the Kansas City-based MOKAN unit. They were bigger, stronger and more athletic than the guys from Iowa. Six-foot-5 big-man Grant Stubbs was the most dominant of the bunch, he used his size effectively and exploited the smaller Iowa squad to the tune of 21 points. For SW Iowa Select, it was a Nebraska home-schooled guy who impressed; Nathan Leaders a 5’7 point guard from Omaha led the way with five points and showcased some sharp handles and good basketball instincts despite the blowout loss.
1:25: 17U — Young & Reckless-DeNard 72 vs Showtime Hoopers Black 63
It was certainly a valiant effort by the Iowa guys, they were athletic, scrappy sharpshooters, but this squad from Illinois just had too much elite talent. Seemingly everyone on this Illinois squad was a D1-caliber player, and they were balanced in scoring but led by 6’4 sniper Antonio Reeves’ 17 points. Cliff McCray was excellent for Iowa, holding his own and looking sometimes more athletic than the Chicago guys. He scored 12 points in the loss, but was a pest on defense, rebounded well from the guard spot and had some real nice finds to his teammates. It’s probably time for D1s who need a 2019 point guard to start getting serious about McCray. Davenport North rising senior Cory Prather was on fire early, and finished with a game-high 21 points in the L.
2:30: 17U — MOKAN Elite EYBL 78 vs Heat Elite 54 (KS)
This game was wild because this Heat Elite group might have been the best shooters we’ve seen here yet. They canned a whopping 15 3-balls in this game, but still lost by 21. The MOKAN guys were very big, very athletic and very skilled, and for all there size, they were led by the smallest guy on the roster, 5’10 guard Deandre Sorrells, he canned six 3s and scored a team-high 18 points. We haven’t seen all the team here yet, but it would appear that this MOKAN group has as good a chance as anyone to bring home the 17U championship belt. For Heat, it was Cevin Clark, a 5’11 sniper, who was impressive, he canned seven 3s in the L and scored a game-high 29 points.