Prospect Upshot: St. Johns XXIII vs St. Thomas Catholic

These two TAPPS 6A District 4 schools were set to take the court to open up district play. St. Johns XXIII 5-4 took on St. Thomas Catholic 8-7. Here is our synopsis and upshot of the game that took place. Hot shooting of Elliott sparked the Eagles early in the game. Kopp also added to the mix early on. It took a while for the Lions to get rolling. The inside play of one of the twin K.Gerberding was unmatched in the paint. They were then able to get the outside shots to fall, as Amos had an 11 point outburst in the 2nd quarter. It was the only quarter where St. Johns XXIII outscored St. Thomas 14-12, which brought the lead down to under 10. The Eagles turned up the defensive intensity in the second half. Which turned out to be a bit much for the short bench of the Lions. They blew the lead open and never looked back. <table style="height: 51px; width: 519px;" width="522"> <tbody> <tr style="height: 17px;"> <td style="width: 156px; height: 17px;"> </td> <td style="width: 60px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">1st</td> <td style="width: 75px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">2nd</td> <td style="width: 66px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">3rd</td> <td style="width: 167px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">4th / F</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 17px;"> <td style="width: 156px; height: 17px;">St. Johns XXIII</td> <td style="width: 60px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">11</td> <td style="width: 75px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">25</td> <td style="width: 66px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">31</td> <td style="width: 167px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">43</td> </tr> <tr style="height: 17px;"> <td style="width: 156px; height: 17px;">St. Thomas Catholic</td> <td style="width: 60px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">22</td> <td style="width: 75px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">34</td> <td style="width: 66px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">50</td> <td style="width: 167px; text-align: center; height: 17px;">67</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   Elijah Elliott 6'0 PG / 2020 / St. Thomas Catholic PHTX75 Who currently holds an offer from Sam Houston State. Played very poised the entire game. Deep ball was on display shooting 4/6 from behind the arc. Penetrated the lane. Scored in the paint. Got his teammates involved. Threw some dimes in the game, and finished with 6 assist. Played lock down defense. Active hands on and off the ball. Came away with 3 steals in the game. Great motor. Changes the speed of the game when he wants to. Got in the mix of things and rebounded the ball, bringing down 6 boards. Finished the game with 27 points.   Maddox Kopp 6'4 SG / 2021 / St. Thomas Catholic Was a big time player. He defended the post pretty solid giving up 5 inches. He finished well around the rim. Had a nice pull up jumper and also knocked down a trey ball. He was active on the floor. Deflecting passes. Had 2 steals in the game. Was all over the glass pulling down 9 boards. Finished the game with 11 points.   Dillon Lowe 6'0 G / 2021 / St. Thomas Catholic Always in the right place at the right time. Moves good without the ball. Had his defender all over the floor. Shot the ball well from the floor as well as from deep. Played with good energy defensively. Finished the game with 11 points on 5/7 shooting from the field. Kellen Amos 6’4 SG / 2020 / St. Johns XXIII Started out slow, but once he got going he was a difference maker. Has good court vision and a nice jump shot. Attacked the gaps and got in the lane. Pull up 3PT shot in transition as well where he knocked down back to back trey balls. Had a good put back dunk over defender who was trying to grab the board. Finished with 19 points.   Kristen Gerberding 6’9 C / 2019 / St. Johns XXIII Played solid early on in the game. Finished strong at the end of the game. Has good footwork in the post. Sets solid on and off ball screens. Altering shots with his wing span. Got up and down the floor well. Finished the game with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks.   Jacob Gerberding 6’9 C / 2019 / St. Johns XXIII Is the twin brother of Kristen. Pretty similar skill set, but he is not as quick as his brother. Has a nice drop step package. Finished the game with 5 points and 8 rebounds.