Iowa’s Premier Performers (Week 7)
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…
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Continue ReadingEach 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.
Michael Duax (Hempstead) — 33 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocks
The sophomore has been lighting it up all season, and he’s in line to become one of the hottest prospects in the state this summer. This performance came in a win over Cedar Rapids Washington, he was 11-16 from the floor and made all four of his 3-attempts.
Nic Coble (WACO) — 33 points, 16 rebounds, 7 steals, 6 blocks, 5 assists
This was one of the better stat-stuffing performances of the season, and the it’s one of the most complete games we’ve seen in five years of Prep Hoops Iowa. If a player goes for five or more in four different categories, we call it a quadruple-nickel. This is five categories with five or more, we’ve never seen that before.
Jake Beckmann (Xavier) — 32 points, 2 steals
The Saints lost 63-59 to Waterloo West, but this junior point guard turned in a gem of a game in defeat. Beckmann made eight 3s in this one, Jackson Joens would be proud. The junior point guard scored more than half his team’s points on this night.
Cade Bleeker (Sioux Center) — 45 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks
The 6-foot-5 guard went off in a double-overtime 87-81 win over Unity Christian last Thursday night. In fact, he’s been going off all season long. Bleeker, a Dordt recruit, is averaging 22.1 points on great shooting and 7.8 rebounds per game this season for the Warriors.
Jackson Molstead (Charles City) — 34 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds
The Charles City point guard recently committed to D3 Wartburg, and he’s soon to become the all-time leading scorer in Comets’ history. He’ll pass former Hawkeyes big-man Greg Brunner in doing so. He routinely puts up 30-plus point nights, so the achievement was inevitable.
Trayvon Williams (Valley) — 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists
It’s not often Valley guys show up on this list. The Tigers almost always have a balanced attack, that paired with a slower style of play, makes for more pedestrian stat-lines. Williams, though, blew up last Tuesday night against Ankeny, going for 26 points on 10-12 shooting and leading his team in rebounding and assists for good measure.
Gore Puot (Des Moines North) — 9 points, 8 rebounds, 10 blocks
We first saw this 6-foot-4 junior at our Top 250 Expo in the fall, and he impressed. He’s gone on to become a key piece this season for state title hopefuls Des Moines North. The athleticism and length that Puot possesses was certainly a big reason why he came away with the 10 blocks here; that’s the eye-opening state in this performance, which came in a win over Ankeny Centennial.
DJ Carton (Bettendorf) — 27 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists
This is more of a season achievement award for Carton. He’s been on the verge on making this list with each game he’s played; the 6-foot-2 point guard has been a model of consistency this season. He was near a triple-double in this game. The explosive Ohio State recruit is a triple-double threat each time he takes the floor.
Willie Guy (Cedar Rapids Jefferson) — 28 points 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Not only did the senior point guard put up this stat-line against one of the state’s premier teams, Oskaloosa, but Guy hit the game-winner, too. And he did it on the big stage, at the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids during last weekend’s Wells Fargo Advisors ShootOut.
Jack Kelley (Don Bosco) — 30 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
The future Morningside Mustangs point guard has been tremendous all season for Don Bosco and this was his best scoring performance yet. The 30 points came on extremely efficient 11-14 shooting, he was 4-5 from deep. The big-time game came in a narrow win over Janesville.