7 Standouts: Greencastle @ Owen Valley

In the first half, it seemed like neither team could hit a shot from the field. The two teams shot a whopping 38% combined in the first half. The two stories were that Owen Valley’s big man, Stephen Atkinson, nearly outscored the Tigers with 12 points. The other was that Greencastle’s leading scorer, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/">Brody Whitaker</a></a> was held scoreless by Zane Sparks. In the second half, things changed in a hurry. Stephen Atkinson continued to play well, but <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/">Brody Whitaker</a></a> also got hot in a hurry. Whitaker scored 9 in the third quarter, and he kept it going in the fourth, finishing with 18 on the night. However, the story of the game was Stephen Atkinson who continued to tear the Greencastle defense apart. He ended with 31 points to keep Owen Valley in the game. However, in the end, it was Cayden Paquette hitting the game-winning layup with 5 seconds to go to put Owen Valley over the top, 48-46. Now, let’s take a look at seven standout players from these teams…   1. Stephen Atkinson, Owen Valley, 2021 PF Atkinson has been an amazing player this season, and he has been even better over the last week. Earlier this week, he put up 42 points against White River Valley, and he scored 31 here tonight against Greencastle. He may not have the height to play down low at the next level, but he does have the skillset to make plays inside. If he keeps up his level of play at this time, Owen Valley will be able to make a run at the Sectional title.   2. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/">Brody Whitaker</a></a>, Greencastle, 2021 SG Whitaker has been the top player for Greencastle this season, and he showed that again last night. He was shut down in the first half by some great defense by Zane Sparks, but in the second half, Whitaker took over the game. He was 7-9 shooting in the second half for all 18 of his points, and he was the only reason that the Tigers stayed in the game. If Whitaker continues to improve, he will be playing in college in the future.   3. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/benton-parmley/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/benton-parmley/">Benton Parmley</a></a>, Greencastle, 2021 PG Parmley struggled in Saturday’s game, but he showed some bright spots in the game. He is an undersized guard, and when he shoots, he shoots from his chest rather than his head. This results in more of his shots getting blocked. Parmely did play solid man defense on the outside, but his shot will need to improve to give Greencastle another scoring option at the guard position.   4. Zane Sparks, Owen Valley, 2021 PG Sparks may have been the most underrated player in this game. He was given the task of face-guarding <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/">Brody Whitaker</a></a> in the first half of the game, and he did it exceptionally. He held Whitaker to 0-4 shooting in the first half and drew 3 fouls on him. He was able to play scrappy defense and get into Whitaker’s head, and that was the biggest impact he could give in this game. I don’t think there is any doubt that he is the best on-ball defender that I have seen in the WIC this season.   5. Cade Plew, Greencastle, 2021 PF Cade Plew was able to give Greencastle an inside presence in this one, and he came up with a couple of big buckets inside. Plew finished the game with 8 points and 7 rebounds, and if he can polish up his skills inside, he will be able to play at the next level. He gives Greencastle a solid player in the post and a good second scoring option besides for Whitaker.   6. Evan Alexander, Greencastle, 2022 SG Alexander struggled from the field during this one, but he did hit a couple of big threes down the stretch to keep the Tigers in the game. He was 2-7 from behind the arc, and he had three turnovers, so it was not his best game at all. However, he hit both of his threes in the fourth quarter of the game, including one to tie the game late.   7. Cayden Paquette, Owen Valley, 2022 SG Paquette struggled in this one, but he came up clutch late. With the clock winding down in a tie game, Pacquette drove right, ducked inside, and finished a tough layup with 5 seconds remaining to put Owen Valley on top. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brody-whitaker/">Brody Whitaker</a></a>’s three-point attempt at the buzzer came up short, and the Patriots won the game thanks to Cayden Paquette. Despite being quiet all game, Pacquette was the hero and the more people that the Patriots can rely on to hit big shots, the better this team will be in March.