10 Best from the Heartland Hoops Classic

<p>Grand Island- Saturday's Heartland Hoops Classic brought along with it a day full of top-notch high school basketball action featuring marquee matchups across multiple classes, including visits from nationally recognized schools in Sunrise Chrisitan Academy from Kansas and IMG Academy from Florida. I made the trip to Grand Island to take in this fantastic event that year after year serves as a tremendous showcase of the basketball talent here in Nebraska. In all, there were a total of 8 games played on the day, and Prep Hoops Nebraska was in the building for all the action. Event records were set, school records were broken, and even a bit of history was made for two schools in the host city of Grand Island.  There was plenty of talent on display and for the near-capacity level crowd. Here's my ten best from the full slate of games. </p> <p><strong>Most Outstanding Player:</strong> <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/hunter-sallis/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/hunter-sallis/">Hunter Sallis</a></a> (Millard North)</p> <p>Fresh off of being elevated to a 5-star recruit, the junior guard proved that he and his Millard North teammates can compete with the best in their headlining matchup against IMG Academy. Sallis, a junior, finished the night with 23 points, seven rebounds, and four assists with Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg and assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih seated courtside. His scoring output on the night helped him surpass the 1,000 career point mark, which is extremely impressive for a junior. Sallis spent much of the game matched up with a fellow 5 Star recruit in 2020 IMG guard Jaden Springer and more than held his own on the defensive end. </p> <p><strong>Best Stat Sheet Stuffer:</strong> <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brady-timm/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brady-timm-2/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brady-timm/">Brady Timm</a></a></a> (Yutan)</p> <p>In the second game of the day, 2021 Yutan guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brady-timm/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brady-timm-2/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brady-timm/">Brady Timm</a></a></a> reminded me why I cannot sing his praises enough. Though he may not have been the high man in terms of points, he was flirting with a possible triple-double late in the game. This was my second time watching Yutan in person this season, and both times I have been wildly impressed by Timm's efficiency. Finishing with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists in the Chieftans victory over Elm Creek, Timm reminded everyone in attendance at the Heartland Events Center that he is just about all you could ask for in a Point Guard. </p> <p><strong>Best Outside Shooting Performance: </strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colin-murray/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colin-murray/">Colin Murray</a></a> (Kearney)</p> <p>The Class A vs. Class B matchup between Kearney and Elkhorn Mount Michael featured a bevy of solid pieces all around the court, though the standout performance of the game came from an unexpected name. Kearney senior guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colin-murray/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/colin-murray/">Colin Murray</a></a> set both a Heartland Hoops Classic record as well as setting a Kearney single-game record with 8 made three-pointers on the day. Murray lead all scorers in the game with 26 points in a record-setting outing while leading his Kearney Bearcats to a wire to wire victory over Mount Michael 73-50. </p> <p><strong>Best Big Man Performance: </strong>Josh Lambert (Auburn)</p> <p>The 6'8 center was the shining star for the Bulldogs and made plenty of winning plays down the stretch to help Auburn defeat Ogallala 73-68 in what was the early leader for game of the day. The Midland University commit finished the game with 21 points on 9-11 shooting from the field, coupled with 8 rebounds. </p> <p><strong>Best Under the Radar Performance:</strong> <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/saint-thomas/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/saint-thomas/">Saint Thomas</a></a> (Millard North)</p> <p>Thomas just keeps trending up. Sometimes forgotten, or lost in the shuffle amongst his teammates with D1 offers and interest, Thomas has in many ways been Millard North's most consistent performer so far this season. Thomas thrives in the mid-range game and getting to the rim, and even against a much bigger team on the interior in IMG Academy, Thomas still did his thing. He finished with 12 points on 5 of 9 shooting, but only one of those misses was from 2 point range. </p> <p><strong>Best Surprise Performance: </strong>Darwin Snyder (BRLD)</p> <p>When you think BRLD Boy's Basketball the name that usually comes to mind is <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/lucas-vogt/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/lucas-vogt/">Lucas Vogt</a></a>. On this day, however, the star for the Wolverines was 5'10 senior guard Darwin Snyder. With Vogt embracing more of a playmaking distributor role on the day, this opened up the door for Snyder who lead all scorers in the matchup with Class B Hastings, had 24 points on 9-13 shooting, which includes going 6-8 from 3 point range. The win extended BRLD's state-leading winning streak to 49 games in a row and improved their record to 22-0 on the season. </p> <p><strong>Best Defensive Performance: </strong>Carter Brown (Ogallala) </p> <p>Despite the loss to Auburn, Brown was far and away one of the standout performers of the day and it wasn't just for his offensive output. The senior guard was tasked defensively with guarding Auburn guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cam-binder/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cam-binder/">Cam Binder</a></a> who is a microwave offensively and is tough to stop when he gets going. Brown more than did the job on Binder holding him to 12 points. On the offensive end, Brown had 23 points and 8 assists. </p> <p><strong>Best Crunch Time Performer: </strong>Jayden Byabato (Grand Island)</p> <p>The senior point guard turned it up to another level in the nightcap of the event, scoring 12 of his game-high 23 points in the 4th quarter helping lead Grand Island back from a double-digit deficit to defeat Grand Island Central Catholic. This leads directly to my next point</p> <p><strong>Best Moment: </strong>Grand Island and Grand Island Central Catholic face each other for the first time EVER</p> <p>Class A schools and Class C2 schools don't usually face each other in athletic competition, but for two schools in the same city, that are located less than two miles apart, history was made to cap off the day of hoops on Saturday night. Grand Island Senior High and Grand Island Central Catholic had never met in basketball. The crowd at the Heartland Event Center was very into this matchup between two schools playing in front of plenty of family and friends. GICC junior forward <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/koby-bales-2/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/koby-bales-2/">Koby Bales</a></a> had a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, but the Islanders came out on top in the historic matchup between the two schools. </p> <p><strong>Biggest Takeaway: </strong>High School Basketball is Alive and Well in Nebraska</p> <p>I have said it before and I will say it again, this year has been a renascence of sorts for high school basketball in this state. There is a bevy of talent across multiple classes all across the state. The crowds throughout the day were alive and into the action and events such as the Heartland Hoops Classic serve as excellent showcases of the talent in this state. As Millard North proved against IMG Academy, Nebraska talent can compete with the best of the best. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>