Iowa’s Premier Performers (Week 3)

T.J. Rushing

December 18, 2018 @ 10:31 AM

Each week, there’s a handful of individual performances around the state that are eye-catching. And each Tuesday, we’ll highlight those stat-lines here. Triple-doubles and 50-point performances are sought-after for these “Premier Performers” lists. We also like high efficiency games and total stat-stuffers. Below, you’ll find 10 striking performances from this past week. <hr />   Tyrese Nickelson, Waterloo East -- 47 points, 8-15 3FG, 4 steals It's been a magnificent start to the season for this 6'1 Trojans guard, and thanks to a 47-point outburst against Cedar Rapids Kennedy, he's currently leading all of Class 4A in scoring (33.2 ppg). The big game came in a narrow 85-84 2OT loss to the Cougars, but win or lose, a 47-point performance against top 4A competition is eye-opening at the very least.   Collin Lister, Carlisle -- 43 points, 6-11 3FG, 3 assists This performance came in a close loss to a red-hot ADM team last Tuesday night, but even in defeat, Lister shined bright. He's going to have a few games like this throughout the season, we think. The 43 points is the highest single-game scoring performance by any 3A player so far this season.   Adam Jackson, Des Moines Hoover -- 40 points, 13-14 FTs, 2 steals Hoover is a knock-down drag-out defensive team, it's always been that way; so you really don't see a lot of 40-point performances from Huskies players. Jackson, a 5'10 combo-guard, achieved the feat last Friday night during a 68-63 win over Des Moines Lincoln. Through seven games, Jackson is leading the Huskies with 17.3 points.   Keaton Kutcher, Mount Vernon -- 39 points, 14-19 FG, 8-11 3FG, 3 assists Just a sophomore, Kutcher has already made his name known around the state. And he's averaging a team-best 19.3 points through his team's first six games. This particular performance, which came in 2 OTs against Central DeWitt, was impressive not only because of the high scoring, but the efficiency in which it happened.   Bowen Born, Norwalk -- 32 points, 8 assists, 8 steals One of the state's best overall players, Born is a guy that we know can light up the scoreboard, but he got it done on both sides of the ball during a 97-21 shellacking of Perry last Tuesday night. The eight steals are what separates this performance from other high-scoring ones, and are the most by any 3A player in a single game this season.   Hunter Decker, Sioux Central, Sioux Rapids -- 40 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals The 6-0 Rebels are off to one of the hottest starts in the state, and Decker is a big, big reason why. A 5-foot-11 senior, he's averaging 18.8 points per game, up from his 14.6 points from a season ago. This 40-point performance came last Friday night in an 85-73 win over Pocahontas Area.   Braden Gibbons, Madrid -- 32 points, 10 assists, 10 steals It's another triple-double for a guy who's off to as good of a start as anyone in the state this season.Gibbons has been red-hot, and he made this list last week with his first triple-double. This, his second trip-doub, came in a 112-45 shellacking of West Central Valley.   Nik Coble, WACO -- 19 points, 21 rebounds, 8 blocks So, so close to the elusive 20-20 game, Coble was just one point away from accomplishing the feat (20 points + 20 rebounds). He was also very near recording a triple-double with points, rebounds and blocks. The 6-foot-5 junior is having himself a stellar junior season so far, averaging 14.1 points, 4.4 blocks and 12.1 rebounds per game.   Nick Reid, Central City -- 42 points, 29 rebounds, 4 assists Nobody is having a better December than Nick Reid, here's just another example of an otherworldly game for him. Two weeks ago, it was his 57-point performance against Midland, Wyoming that had the state buzzing. This game, a 42-point, 29-rebound monster against Starmont is as dominant of a performance as we've seen in five years of Prep Hoops Iowa, very Joe Wieskamp-like.   Bryce Coppock, Newell-Fonda -- 38 points, 15-25 FG, 7 steals, 4 assists Without a doubt, Coppock is one of the more dynamic scorers in Iowa, and he's continually proven that since his freshman season at Newell-Fonda. This was an efficient 38 points, albeit in a loss to Spirit Lake. And the seven steals is what puts this performance over the top.