LIft For Life Summer League: Championship Game Standouts

<p>Prep Hoops Missouri spent Thursday evening at Lift for Life Academy to watch the championship of its Summer League, which pitted Soldan High against host Lift for Life. It was a battle of two very good Class 3 teams in the St. Louis area. Soldan got off to a quick start and made it stand for the victory, which completed an undefeated record in the Summer League.</p> <p>Soldan returns some very solid pieces from a team that won 18 games and played for a district championship last season. They enjoyed a very productive month of June. Thursday was a busy day for Lift for Life as they played six games on the day. They won four games earlier in the day in a Team Camp at Greenville (IL), then came back to play two games at the end of their summer league.</p> <p>Here is a look at the standouts from both teams on Thursday night:</p> <h3>Soldan</h3> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="824168" first="Phillip" last="March"] 5’9" (’21): The diminutive combo guard is a potent offensive player who can get buckets from all three levels. His speed and quick first step made him tough to handle as he scored on layups and floaters as well as a nice mid range jumper. He also came off screens to knock down 3-pointers off the catch. He will be one of the top guards in the Public High League as a junior. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="822879" first="Elijah" last="Bishop"] 6’6" (’20): The burly senior played limited minutes due to an ankle injury, but he made the most of them as he enjoyed a big second half. His ability to score in the low post is well documented, but he did most of his damage on Thursday night from the perimeter as he has developed quite a stroke from 3-point range. He hit three of them last night as his confidence has grown as a 3-point shooter.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="824195" first="Dylan" last="Martin"] 6’2" (’21): A big-bodied wing player who was very effective anywhere on the court with his strength and versatility. He attacked the basket hard and moved well without the basketball to score on hard cuts. He is a physical defender who can also rebound well.</p> <p>Micheal Rice 6’3" (’20): A solid wing player who got the Tigers rolling with some excellent perimeter shooting. He hit three 3-pointers from the same spot on the right wing as the Tigers built an early double-digit lead. He has good size, which also made him a factor on the boards.</p> <p>Javonte Robinson 5’8" (’20): A tough little point guard who did a good job of pushing the pace and getting into the lane. He distributed the ball well and was also able to get all the way to the basket for a few tough buckets, which resulted in conventional three-point plays.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Lift for Life</h3> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="822911" first="Demarius" last="Haywood"] 6’3" (’20): An aggressive wing player who attacked the basket relentlessly and kept his team in the game after falling behind by double digits. He scored on some tough takes to the basket as well as pull up jumpers in the lane that were well-defended. He is also a solid offensive rebounder who also got buckets in transition. For playing his sixth game of the day, his motor was still running at a high rate.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="824122" first="Demarcus" last="Sanford Jr."] (’21): The long, athletic point guard throw down a big dunk in his team’s victory over SLUH in the semifinals. He is a very good 3-point shooter, but he got most of his action off the bounce in the championship game. He forced a lot switches in the pick-and-roll and did an excellent job of taking advantage by getting to the basket and scoring in the lane.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="824158" first="Barcus" last="Jackson"] 6’1" (’21): The slender wing player played his usual under control game where he lets the game come to him. When he got things going, he starting knocking down 3-pointers from the corner and getting out on the break to convert transition layups. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="822930" first="Corey" last="Sparkman"] 6’5" (’21): The active power forward had his moments where he displayed his high motor around the basket as a rebounder and shot blocker. The number of games and heavy work rate on Thursday probably took a bigger toll on him than others as his activity rate was a little lower than other games where I’ve watched him play. When he’s going well, he is a productive player where you don’t have to run a play for him.</p>