City of Palms Classic (Day 1 Standouts)

<p>FORT MYERS - The 47th annual City of Palms Classic officially started on Wednesday with a five-game slate on the campus of Florida Southwestern College in Fort Myers, Florida.</p> <p>Here are the results.</p> <p>Archbishop Stepinac 69, Briarcrest Christian 62</p> <p>Scotlandville 51, Vashon 47</p> <p>Lakewood 53, Charlotte 48</p> <p>Fort Myers 74, Marshall County 71 (1 OT)</p> <p>McEachern 69. Roman Catholic 65</p> <p>Here is a look at the top performances on the first day.</p> <h3><strong>Sharife Cooper (McEachern)</strong></h3> <p>In his third straight year in the City of Palms, 2020 6' guard <strong>Sharife Cooper</strong> saved his best for last. His squad won it all last year in Fort Myers and he put together a 29-point outing which included 19 points in the second half alone. The Auburn commit attempted more free throws than the entire Roman Catholic team he played against, making 13-of-18. Over and over in this game, Cooper played aggressively, went to the rack and drew contact. It is hard to not like his game and he is way more than a shooter.</p> <h3><strong>RJ Davis &amp; Adrian Griffin (Archbishop Stepinac)</strong></h3> <p>The duo of <strong>RJ Davis</strong> and <strong>Adrian Griffin</strong> was lethal for Archbishop Stepinac. Davis, a 2020 6'1" guard (North Carolina commit) had 22 points with 14 in the second half alone. He was all over the court, shooting 9-of-9 from the free throw line and getting to the rim and finishing with both hands. In one sequence in the third quarter, Davis had a five straight points which included an off balance 3 in transition. Griffin, a 2021 6'7" forward can shoot it well for a bigger body and he's able to mix it up with his toughness in transition as a passer and finisher. </p> <h3><strong>Kennedy Chandler &amp; Marcellus Brigham (Briarcrest Christian)</strong></h3> <p>In a loss to Archbishop Stepinac, the combination of 2020 6'6" forward <strong>Marcellus Brigham </strong>and 2021 6'1" guard <strong>Kennedy Chandler</strong> combined for 46 points. Chandler took over this game in many moments to score 25 points including 13 in the first half. He was efficient with his moves to the rim and he made it look easy at times with absolute burst on the floor. As for Brigham, the long bodied wing had 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field along with eight rebounds and provided constant energy for his side.</p> <h3><strong>Zion Harmon (Marshall County)</strong></h3> <p>Finishing with 36 points, it certainly wasn't easy for 2021 5'11" Marshall County guard <strong>Zion Harmon </strong>who came out flat but was hitting some tough shots for his side. Harmon had the game-tying 3 with less than seven seconds left to force overtime. He shot 15-of-34 from deep and the numbers don't look that good, but he was unselfish more than stats say tonight and he was delivering when it mattered most in regulation. Fort Myers covered him well in overtime.</p> <h3><strong>Jalen Duran &amp; Justice Williams (Roman Catholic)</strong></h3> <p>2022 sophomore pair, 6'9" forward <strong>Jalen Duran</strong> and 6'3" guard <strong>Justice Williams</strong> each scored 21 points in a late night loss to McEachern. Duran was efficient on 10-of-12 shooting along with 16 rebounds and is a physical and long body. Williams can shoot it despite his early struggles as he improved in the second half. Also, 2020 6'3" guard <strong>Lynn Greer</strong> had 16 points to help his squad hang around.</p> <h3><strong>Tai'Reon Joseph (Scotlandville)</strong></h3> <p>Scotlandville had three players reach double digits with 2020 6'4" guard <strong>Tai'Reon </strong><strong>Joseph</strong> being the best offensive piece overall. He was going downhill, driving and kicking and finishing with confidence. Joseph woke up in the second half with 12 points to finish with 21 in total. He is going to have to continue this surge for his squad to keep winning here this week in Fort Myers.</p> <h3><strong>Tre Carroll (Charlotte)</strong></h3> <p>In a loss to Lakewood, 2021 6'7" forward <strong>Tre Carroll</strong> was essential in keeping his team afloat. The Tarpons hung around all game long and with Carroll's elusive attacking and aggressive nature, it was a pleasure to see. He had 24 points and nine rebounds on the night, hitting 9-of-11 free throw attempts. This young man is growing before our eyes and continues to get better every time I see him suit up.</p> <h3><strong>Cayden Baker, Javian McCollum, Jamin Primus &amp; Kyle Riemenschneider (Fort Myers)</strong></h3> <p>It is rare to see four players in one header on here, but Fort Myers earned strong performances from a quartet of starters. 2020 6'5" forward <strong>Kyle Riemenschneider </strong>took advantage of his height advantage to finish with 17 points and six boards while 2020 6'7" forward <strong>Cayden Baker</strong> (North Carolina football commit) had 16 points and 18 rebounds as he dove for loose balls and grabbed boards at a high clip. As for the guard play, the speedy and dangerous shooting duo of 2021 prospects, 6' guard <strong>Javian McCollum</strong> (16 points) is a vocal and determined leader who keeps everything together for his group and is very shifty while <strong>5'10" </strong>guard <strong>Jamin Primus</strong> (15 points) was important defensively as he buried two free throws with 1.2 seconds left in overtime to seal the win.</p> <h3><strong>Kobe Clark (Vashon)</strong></h3> <p>In the second game of the day, Vashon had moments but it ultimately fell. 2020 6'7" forward <strong>Kobe Clark</strong> was really good in the outing with 18 points and 14 rebounds. I loved his energy, assertiveness as a shooter and he simply plays the game wisely and with a ton of poise. Look for him to have a big week for the Wolverines.</p> <h3><strong>Jamille Reynolds &amp; TJ Tampa (Lakewood)</strong></h3> <p>Athletes are all over the place for Lakewood and in this win it was the inside presence of 2020 6'10" forward <strong>Jamille Reynolds</strong> (18 points) and 2020 6'3" guard <strong>TJ Tampa </strong>(14 points) that gave the Spartans life. Reynolds had 11 rebounds and five blocks and was being more aggressive after halftime something that made it hard for the Charlotte defense. Tampa is a blazer who is fresh off a football season where he simply gets after it in open space.</p>