"Doc" Edwards, Sidney Smith, & Sterlington Shootout Previews

North Louisiana cranks up back up with tournament action off of I-20 East and West. Most teams are competing in their last tournament action before district play begins. While that is the case for some, other teams are looking to play quality opponents to gain power points and improve their ranking in their respective classes. We will take a look and preview day 1 action, key players in each contest, and project what game play may look like on day 2 of each tournament. Sterlington Shootout (hosted by Sterlington High) Game One: West Ouachita vs Calvary Baptist (1:00 - Sterlington High main gym) The Lowdown: This is a 4A versus 3A match-up will begin the boys round robin play. West Ouachita is one spot out of the top 32 teams in 4A while Calvary Baptist is firmly in the #9 position in Division III. Both teams are looking to improve their present positions. Top Match-Up: Caleb Williams (2020) vs Martin McDowell (2022) Rarely is there a match-up between wings shooters but that is what we have in this contest. Williams (6'2") and McDowell (5'9") can flat out shoot the ball. If either shooter gets a good look, it is pretty much a given they are going to make it. The key will be which team gives the other shooter the best looks. Top Prospect: D'Marcus Hall (2020) is the top prospect who can not play due to transfer rules. The 6'5" forward post has the post moves of a taller big man with the ability to finish like a guard. He is a very good offensive player who can create his own shot as well. He will not be able to suit up until January. When he does, look out. Prediction: West Ouachita has more game play at this point in the season and is playing closer to home. However, Calvary has a collection of better guards and a physical athlete manning the middle in highly-touted DB Eric Reid. If the Cavs win the boards, they will win this game. Game Two: Richwood vs Southwood (2:30 - Sterlington main gym) The Lowdown: Game two is a 5A versus 3A match-up. Richwood is hanging on to the 30th position in 3A right now while Southwood, who has lost 5 straight, is sitting at #17. Top Match-Up: Justin Wilson (2021) vs Christian Caldwell (2020) Caldwell is one of the top 30 players in the Prep Hoops 2020 rankings (#29). He is one of the most explosive leapers in the state and is a highlight reel type player. Wilson is a relentless rebounder who creates space in the paint. Top Prospect: Sadarionne "SD" Ellis is the top prospect. The 6'3" guard is the best shooter on the floor. He has the quickness to blow by guards and the craftiness to finish at the rim. Ellis is the best mid-range shooter in the state. There are more potent scorers but no one has the variety that this guy has. Northwestern State and ETBU have been his main suitors so far. Prediction: Southwood has three scorers that can get 20 easily if this game is played in the open floor. If their shots are falling, this game might not be close. If Richwood rebounds the ball well, the Cowboys could be in for a dogfight. Even in that type of game, the Cowboys should win. .Sidney Smith Invitational (hosted by West Monroe) Game One: Ruston vs Wossman (4:30 - West Monroe main gym) The Lowdown: This is a 5A versus 3A match-up to begin the tournament. Wossman is #2 in the latest 3A poll while Ruston is presently three spots out of being in 5A's top 32. Both teams have a mixture of youth and veterans in key positions on the floor, so this should be an interesting contest. Top Match-Up: Collin Belton (2021) vs Nick Traylor (2020) Belton is one of the best underclassmen, big men in the 2021 class and ranked highly in the Prep Hoops Top 250. Traylor, while only 6'3", is the best rebounder and interior scorer the Wildcats have. He has put up double-doubles against Carroll and other teams with size. If Belton wants to win this individual match-up, he going to need to keep Traylor off the glass and prevent him from scoring in the paint. Top Prospect: Collin Belton is the top prospect in this game. The 6'8" post has the footwork of a more mature player with a good motor. He can finish around the rim and can defend the rim. Belton might not be the most flashy but he is good at what he does. Prediction: While the front court will give Ruston a decent shot, their back court is not up to par with the Wildcats back court. Senior Rayson Robinson and sophomore Devonte Austin are one of the best tandems in the state as starting guards. They should be the difference in this game. Game Two: Neville vs Ouachita (6:00 - West Monroe main gym) The Lowdown: A 5A versus 4A match-up is the 2nd game in the boys bracket. Ouachita is #11 in the latest 5A poll while Neville is on the outside looking in 4A's top 32. Neville has a young team around wing Henry Steele while Ouachita is a veteran group who played in the 5A semis last season. Top Match-Up: Henry Steele (2019) vs Reginald "RJ" Hill (2019) Steele is a 6'6" long and athletic wing that is Neville's top scorer. Hill is a senior two guard who has a long wing span at 6'2". More than likely, he will get the initial assignment at shutting Steele down. Ouachita has more defenders that can help if Hill has problems. Top Prospect: Henry Steele II is the top prospect in this game. The 6'6" wing has the game of a smaller guard. He has a nice jumper and can score in bunches at times. Steele can finish above the rim as well. This player should be of interest to many D1 and D2 schools because of his physical attributes. Prediction: Outside of Steele, Ouachita has the talent advantage everywhere else. Paul King is the point guard (5'10") and he does well at scoring and distributing. Myron Washington is the 6'8" anchor in the middle and should score easily down there. Ouachita should win this one going away. "Doc" Edwards Tournament (hosted by Airline High and Benton High) Game One: Homer vs Lakeview (5:30 PM at BPCC) The Lowdown: This is a 2A versus 1A match-up leading off the session at BPCC. Homer is #18 in the 1A LHSAA poll while Lakeview is #8 in the 2A rankings. Lakeview is as hot as any team playing in any class and has a veteran group of guards they rely upon. Top Match-Up: Jayshun Miller (2021) vs Zarious Lewis (2019) Miller is one of the top point guards in the 2021 class being ranked inside of the top 40 of his class. He is an explosive scorer who can shoot it from deep but seems to love taking contact going to the hoop. Lewis is an unranked point guard who has performed as one of the best during his senior season. He is coming off a tournament MVP in Minden and been all tournament in two other tournaments. Top Prospect: Jayshun Miller is the top prospect in this game. Miller is a 6'0" point who has talent to score and distribute. He has an explosive quality to his game that makes him dangerous from all levels of the court. He can finish around the rim as he bullies his way to the rim. This guy is a difference maker. Prediction: I believe Lakeview will continue its winning ways during this contest. Homer has the ability to make it close especially with Miller handling the ball. The Gators have too much firepower for Homer in this one. Game Two: Parkway vs Huntington (8:30 - BPCC gym) The Lowdown: This is a 5A versus 4A contest will close out day 1. Huntington is #8 in the latest 4A poll while Parkway is presently one spot out of the top 32 in 5A. Top Match-Up: Joseph Wiggins (2019) vs Kenny Hunter (2020) Both of these big men are ranked in the Prep Hoops rankings in their classes. They are also two of the more talented big men that north Louisiana has. Their games are similar so this match-up between the two should be good. Top Prospect: Joseph Wiggins is the top prospect in this game. The 6'5" forward has skills to score and defend at a high level. He can also put the ball on the deck and get to the rim. If he raises up while driving to the basket, watch out! If he is shooting it well from the mid-range, he is hard to guard. Southern Arkansas and Southeastern Oklahoma have shown interest in the forward. Prediction: Huntington has played up and down this year. They have gotten off to some slow starts but they have too much talent for the Panthers. While the Panthers have Wiggins, Huntington can come off the bench with 6'6" and 6'5" forwards to wear him down. Huntington should win going away. Other games include Carroll vs Delhi (4 pm - Sterlington), BTW-Shreveport vs Airline (5:30 - Airline), Mansfield vs West Monroe (7:30 pm - West Monroe)