Circle 7 Ranch Tournament: Five Takeaways
Prep Hoops Missouri was at Parkway West on Friday night for the final day of the Circle 7 Ranch Tournament. Top seeded DeSmet defeated Hazelwood Central to take home the championship. Wentzville Liberty defeated Parkway South for third place and…
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Continue ReadingPrep Hoops Missouri was at Parkway West on Friday night for the final day of the Circle 7 Ranch Tournament. Top seeded DeSmet defeated Hazelwood Central to take home the championship. Wentzville Liberty defeated Parkway South for third place and Parkway Central defeated Lafayette for fifth place.
Here are Five Takeaways from watching Friday night’s action at Parkway West
DeSmet is arriving a year early
It was thought that DeSmet was probably a year away from being a serious player around the state with its talented crew of underclassmen. The Spartans are showing that they want to make a little noise this season as they won the tournament to improve its record to 17-3. DeSmet has a good combination of size, talented youngsters and experienced veterans who can make plays for second-year coach Kent Williams. The size comes in the form of 6’10” 2021 forward Sekou Gassamma, 6’9″ 2021 Yaya Keita and 6’5″ 2020 forward Michael Skoff. They have a pair of talented young 2021 guards in 6’1″ Jeremiah Walker and 6’4″ Thomas Redmond. Providing the experience in the backcourt is 6’2″ 2019 guard Evan Aslesen, the team’s leading scorer and top perimeter threat, and 5’10” 2019 guard Colin Goodwin, who brings quickness and the ability to get to the basket. Aslesen, Keita and Gassamma each scored 13 points in the championship victory over the Hazelwood Central with Keita grabbing a whopping 26 rebounds. Watch out for the Spartans down the stretch.
Jayce Catchings has emerged
It did not take long for Jayce Catchings of Wentzville Liberty to emerge from the shadow of older brother Kale Catchings, who is now a freshman at Harvard. The 6’3″ 2020 guard has not only become the leading man at Liberty, but he has also emerged as one of the best in the St. Louis area. He scored a game-high 29 points in the Eagles’ victory over Parkway South in the third-place game. It was just another night for the talented Catchings, who is averaging 28 points a game, which is double his average from his sophomore year. Already an accomplished 3-point shooter, Catchings has added a mid-range game and some post-up scoring ability in the paint. He is definit
Hazelwood Central has a bright future
The Hawks are in a big transition year after losing seven seniors from a 27-win team that advanced to the Class 5 state quarterfinals last season, including two Division I players in Shaun Williams (Kansas State) and Cameron Williams (SIUE). The results of this year have been predictably up and down, but coach Brandon Gilmore has laid the foundation for future success with his talented group of underclassmen. Central has advanced to the championship game of two big tournaments during the season. He has a nice freshman point guard in Tevin Gowins and a strong group of sophomores who will be back next season. He has also added some talented transfers in the mix, so look out down the stretch and beyond at Hazelwood Central.
Isaac Esker is an improved big
I have been very impressed with the improvement of Class of 2020 big Isaac Esker of Parkway South, who has come on strong. The 6’8″ post player averaged one point and one rebound in limited varsity duty last season. This season, Esker has emerged as a big factor in the paint with 12 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 56 percent from the field. He is an old-school post player with a big body and a nice set of hands. He gets good position and he’s tough to move when he establishes his position in the paint.
Parkway Central remains a factor
The Colts graduated a big senior class of eight players from a team that advanced to the Final Four of the Class 4 state tournament in 2017 and the state quarterfinals last season. Whoever thought the Colts might struggle this season were sorely mistaken as they are currently 13-5 and playing very good basketball. Class of 2019 guard Jaylen Littlejohn scored 20 points in Friday night’s fifth-place victory over Lafayette and was named to the All-Tournament Team. The 5’9″ Littlejohn is quick and can create his own shot. Also making the All-Tournament team was 6’6″ 2020 forward Devion Harris, who is averaging 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks a game. Mello Ball is another fine 2019 guard who has performed well in a bigger role.