Standout Players: Northview @ Terre Haute North

In Tuesday night’s action, the visiting Northview Knights traveled to Terre Haute to take on the Terre Haute North Patriots. Terre Haute North started off the game strong with a 13-4 lead early as the Knights struggled to hit shots. The junior shooting guard, Matt Gauer, was hot early with 16 in the first half. Overall, the Knights top three scorers were an abysmal 3-15 from the floor in the first half. However, in the second half, Northview fought back to make it a ball game thanks to a spark from Brevin Cooper, the Knights point guard. With three minutes remaining, the Knights took the lead thanks to a three-pointer by Cade Bryan, and the Knights wouldn’t relinquish their first lead of the game. The Knights held on against North for the first time since 2008. Now, let’s take a look at the standout players from Tuesday’s game.   <ul> <li>Brevin Cooper, Northview, PG, 2021</li> </ul> Although Cooper may be undersized, he showed in this game that his heart cannot be underestimated. He played from energy from the tip until a minute to go when he fouled out. He impressed me from the start with his all-out hustle and his ability to lead the offense. He racked up a double-double last night with a 15 point and 10 rebound performance. Despite the fact that he is not yet ranked in our rankings for the junior class, he has the ability to play at a small division three school in the future. He is a player that a coach could always count on to provide a spark off the bench on both sides of the ball.   <ul> <li>Dalton Sturm, Terre Haute North, PF, 2020</li> </ul> The senior power forward is one of the top unsigned power forwards in the senior class, and he certainly showed his ability to play at the next level. Sturm racked up another double-double on the season with 17 points and 10 boards. From the outside, Sturm was 5-8 from the outside, but he did struggle on the inside. He had no post presence, but as a 6’7 power forward, he is smaller than most college post players. He will be able to play as a stretch three, and he will be a great asset for a college coach.   <ul> <li>Cade Bryan, Northview, SF, 2020</li> </ul> The senior small forward is still unsigned at the next level. In this game, he racked up 14 points and 6 boards. On the offensive end, he has a great looking shooting stroke, but he does continually take quick shots before getting into the offensive sets. Also, he struggles to play without the ball. Also, when he shoots free throws, he stands about two feet back from the free-throw line and takes the pass like a bounce pass and shoots a jumper in rhythm. He is also shooting under 50% from the line this season.   <ul> <li>Matt Gauer, Terre Haute North, SG, 2021</li> </ul> This junior shooting guard is a true scorer. He is a lights out shooter, and he has the ability to create his own shot. In the game, he racked up 19 points with five made three-pointers. He doesn’t consistently shoot the ball in the catch and shoot fashion, but he does not miss when he takes one dribble to the left and rises up for his shot. He will be able to play at the next level with his shot-making ability, and most college coaches will be able to craft an inside presence and be able to make a play at the rim.   <ul> <li>Caleb Swearingen, Northview, SG, 2021</li> </ul> As a junior post player, Swearingen does not have the size to play down low at the next level, but he is able to make moves in the post at the high school level. He got great shots with moves down low, but he did struggle to have the touch down low. He finished the game 3-10 from the floor and 0-2 from the outside as his outside shot was too flat. The bright spot of his game looked to be his free throw shooting as he went 7-8 down the stretch to ice the game away. He will have to improve his touch inside to put up consistent scoring numbers in the future, but he did show the potential to score in bunches with a little bit of coaching.   <ul> <li>Carson Gettle, Northview, SG, 2020</li> </ul> Gettle is a gifted three-point shooter, but in the majority of the aspects of his game, it seemed he wasn’t putting out enough effort. The coaches had to continually remind him to not fall asleep on defense during long possessions, and he failed to box out on the defensive end, resulting in him giving up four offensive rebounds. Also, he tallied three turnovers with bad passes. He will need to show a bigger work ethic in his game if he wants to continue to improve and potentially play at the next level next season.   <ul> <li>Bryson Carpenter, Terre Haute North, SF, 2023</li> </ul> Carpenter is one of many freshmen on this Terre Haute North roster, but he has consistently been a starter on the Patriots ball club. He struggled to shoot from the outside, but he was an aggressive rebounder. He has the potential to be a top-level player as he improves over the next three years in high school. If he is able to improve his shot, he will be able to advance his game to new heights.