Emerald Shootout Day One: Top Performers
Day one of Eugene’s pre-Christmas tournament is complete and a short list of hoopers made plays and stood out to us to tip things off. In the first matchup, Willamette knocked off 6A Roseburg 66-42 after controlling the pace of…
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Continue ReadingDay one of Eugene’s pre-Christmas tournament is complete and a short list of hoopers made plays and stood out to us to tip things off.
In the first matchup, Willamette knocked off 6A Roseburg 66-42 after controlling the pace of play and giving their bench unit a chance to shine. Then, Sheldon outlasted Roosevelt’s come-from-behind effort to win 57-53 and pick up some much needed momentum continuing through December.
Here’s our top performers from Thursday:
Gunner Robinson (2021 Sheldon) – Stats: 23 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast
Robinson, though clearly not the most skilled basketball player on the court, plays with a terrific motor and gets things done the blue collar way. The football stud repeatedly flew around for floor-burns and hustle plays while also earning his way to the charity stripe throughout the night. Above all else, Robinson is a very hard worker and he leaves 110% on the floor every game, giving him opportunity to explode on occasion as he did on Thursday.
Luke Smith (2021 Willamette) – Stats: 20 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl
Smith is the Wolverines offensive engine this season and his all-around scoring game was on full display on Thursday. Smith has shown the ability to knock down the three with great efficiency this season, going 3-for-6 from long range in this game on the way to a game-high 20 points. Smith can also handle the basketball very well at 6-foot-3 and his overall fee for the game has blossomed. Look out for Smith tearing up the best 5A league in Oregon soon enough.
Jayoni Moore (2020 Roosevelt) – Stats: 19 pts, 2 reb
Moore, Roosevelt’s leading scorer, took a while to get going offensively against Sheldon’s hard-nosed defense. As the Rough Riders slowly crawled back into the game, Moore also did, knocking down a momentous three-pointer and putting in work from the charity stripe; the 6-foot-1 senior went 10-for-10 from there all night. Although Moore never fully found his rhythm from the field, he still found a way to make his name heard by putting his head down and earning foul shots. It was a Harden-esque performance by the senior.