LSI “The Eight”: Top Performers (Part 2)
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The first-ever Les Schwab Invitational “The Eight” kicked off on Friday and fans and college coaches in attendance were treated to some competitive action. Here’s look at the second two games of the evening. Sherwood 67, Westview 51 It wasn’t…
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Continue ReadingThe first-ever Les Schwab Invitational “The Eight” kicked off on Friday and fans and college coaches in attendance were treated to some competitive action.
Here’s look at the second two games of the evening.
Sherwood 67, Westview 51
It wasn’t necessarily aesthetically pleasing, but Sherwood and Westview tussled and tangled for three quarters before the Bowmen started pulling away in the forth. Westview got behind early but simply kept on hanging around. But every time the Wildcats made a push, Sherwood had an answer. Leading the way for Sherwood was sophomore guard Asher Krauel from the outside with 20 points and Blake Jensen on the inside with 13 points. Kobe Newton scored a team-high 15 points for Westview.
“It was a character building win,” said Sherwood head coach Rahim Tufts. “When you can find different guys at different stages of the game – everyone is going to have their moment this season. It was a lot of fun seeing different guys step up at different times.”
Eastside Catholic 81, De La Salle 54
Eastside Catholic used its advantage in size and athleticism to cruise past a hard-fighting De La Salle squad in the event’s nightcap. Three Crusaders finished with double figures in scoring, led by Syon Blackmon’s 18 points, and 11 of the 12 players that played scored. De La Salle was led by George Sadi who posted 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Kadeem Nelson added 17.
“We played hard – at the end that’s all you can ask for is for them to compete,” said De La Salle North head coach James Broadous. “We are really grateful for the opportunity to play in this. Ultimately we want to win our league and win state I think playing in games like this prepare us for that.”
Here are the top performers from those games:
Asher Krauel (2021 Sherwood) – Krauel was the surprise of the day. The 5-foot-10 sophomore is a shifty point guard who really got it going offensively against Westview. After initially looking like a deer in headlights, Krauel found his groove and started to make plays, hitting open shots from kickouts to the perimeter but also creating his own shot. Also a track and field star, it will be interesting to see how this young guard develops over the course of this season and next.
Blake Jensen (2020 Sherwood) – Jensen was probably surprise #2 of the day. The 6-foot-6 post has shown flashes in the past but against Westview he really put it all together. He posted up strong down low and finished strong at the basket, finishing 5-for-6 from the field on his way to a varsity career-high 13 points. There’s still work for this developing post to do – for example, he shot 3-for-7 from the free throw line – but he runs the floor well and seems to understand where he needs to be on the basketball floor.
Jamison Guerra (2020 Sherwood) – Guerra had a little trouble with turnovers on the night (he totaled seven) but overall had a balanced game with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting (including a three), a team-high seven rebounds, and five assists. He capably found open shooters such as Kraul and Tyler Hix on the perimeter while also getting in some entry passes to Jensen down low, both in the halfcourt and transition settings.
Kobe Newton (2019 Westview) – One of the few seniors on the Wildcats, it’s up to Newton to be a leader and he did his best with that on Friday night. While he did end up the team’s leading scorer with 15 points and the most shot attempts (14), the lead guard showed some decent shot selection and had his feet set for the ones that he did make. Newton is still getting up to full speed after missing some time due to a hand injury. He’s currently receiving interest from some NWAC schools and we’ll have an update posted on him soon.
Shane Nowell (2021 Eastside Catholic) – There’s not much else to say about Nowell other than he’s flat out a stud. The sophomore is super athletic, but smooth and controlled to boot. Nowell pretty much did anything he wanted to offensively, whether it was hitting the perimeter shot or taking it to the basket for athletic finishes. One of his dunks in transition was a highlight of the night. Nowell grabbed boards (nine), dished out assists (four), and made an impact with steals (five) – and did this all while sitting out the entire fourth quarter.
Griffin Barker (2019 Eastside Catholic) – Barker was simply a man among boys. He posted up and finished with strong post moves, but also stepped out on the perimeter where he showed he could shoot the mid-range jumper as well as create off the dribble. Barker grabbed rebounds, blocked shots (two), and was simply impossible for De La Salle North to match up with in the paint. Barker recently received a new offer in his recruitment and an update will be posted on him on the PrepHoops Washington site soon.
George Sadi (2020 De La Salle North) – Sadi was one of the few bright spots for the Knights. The junior may be only 5-foot-11 but he’s built like a house and his motor was non-stop from the opening tip. He was all over the place on both ends – offensively he showed off an ability to make tough drives and a solid pull-up jumper and defensively, he was all over his assignment on defense and also playing the passing lanes. Like practically everyone else on the team, he struggled with turnovers but otherwise he racked up stats all across the board with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and four steals.
Kadeem Nelson (2019 De La Salle North) – Nelson didn’t shoot terribly well but the ones he did convert looked really good as he has a clean release and solid form on his shot. He has a body that will need to build some muscle and strength but at a long 6-foot-3, he has the frame to put on those pounds. Nelson was a bit overmatched athletically against Eastside Catholic, so it will be interesting to see how he fares against 3A opponents when league play begins.
Note: Some of the college coaches we noticed in attendance included Tyler Geving and Ben Johnson (Portland), Kyle Milligan (Chaminade), Marquis Matthews (Concordia), Maco Hamilton (George Fox), Jason Patterson (Multnomah), Kyle Hollis and Darius Redrick (Clark CC), and Doug Baxter (Blue Mountain CC)