O’Fallon Shootout: Friday Recap

The O’Fallon Shootout has become one of the top events in the state of Illinois annually. PHI was in the house for the first three games of the event. Here is our O’Fallon Shootout: Friday Recap!   <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/james-dent/">James Dent</a> Shows Out in Springfield Southeast Win Springfield Southeast 2021 shooting guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/james-dent/">James Dent</a> certainly lived up to his lofty ranking on Friday night in their 72-58 win over Mascoutah. The #20 overall junior in Illinois had it all working. The rangy 6’5” wing scored with ease from all over the floor. Feathery jumpshot from both mid-range and three. Worked very well in the mid-range using a job stop to create space for his jumper. We came away very impressed with how he handled it getting to the hoop and finishing with either hand. An area that we haven’t seen that much out of him previously was his passing. Displayed an all-around floor game getting others involved and was also active on the boards. Defensively he had his moments using his length getting in passing lanes and frustrating opponents. Dent finished with 31 points (13-25 FG), 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Has all the makings of a mid major wing at the next level. Dent got some help from his running mate <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kamran-banks/">Kamran Banks</a>. The 6’2” 2022 is a power wing that does most of his damage on the interior. Works well from 15 feet and in attacking along with using his quickness on the glass. He had 14 points and 7 rebounds.   Birthday Boy <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/justin-king/">Justin King</a> Has Bright Future Mascoutah 2022 point guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/justin-king/">Justin King</a> turned 16 years old on Friday night. This young man has quite a bright future. The long and lanky point guard displayed an excellent feel for the game. His ability to get others involved was shown at a high-level throughout the night. Found his shooters and made plays for others especially early in the contest. Really liked how he stuffed the stat sheet contributing in an array of areas. As a scorer he hit one from distance and showcased that he could get to the rim with slick drives finishing with creativity at the cup. Final line read 17 points (7-10 FG), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. King currently checks in at #23 overall in 2022 and could rise even higher this spring. He got some help in this contest from 2021 Braden Bryant. The crafty left handed two guard had several nifty finishes. Also got to the line at a high rate and was a decent passer. He had 12 points and 3 assists.   Belleville West Knocks Off Host O’Fallon at Buzzer Belleville West and O’Fallon have met previous years at this event. This one was a little different without super stud EJ Liddell. Belleville West led most of the game. They were paced by 6’5” 2021 wing <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tommie-williams/">Tommie Williams</a> who brought a ton of energy. Scored on straight line slashers and mauled on the offense of glass. Went for 12 points and 11 rebounds. Then O’Fallon came storming back in the fourth quarter. Amarey Wills defense and transition scoring got them going. He scored 9 points. Undersized physical force 2022 <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dawson-algee/">Dawson Algee</a> was awesome on the glass recording 8 points and 10 boards. Their top prospect 2022 point guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/caleb-burton/">Caleb Burton</a> flashed hitting a three and a mid range jumper. Such a smooth and effortless game. Look forward to seeing what he will do again on Saturday. He had 9 points in this contest. Belleville West ended up winning on a tip in at the buzzer from Keli’i Price to win 41-39. With the clock ticking down Price followed up a miss to win the game for two of his 4 points on the night. Bit of a quiet night for senior scorer <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/greg-wells/">Greg Wells</a>. The angular to guard with good length is a decent passer that can put it on the deck and get to the rim. Struggled in this game from distance. Javieon Wallace brought a spark for Belleville West with 12 points in the win. Ty Lampley is a projecatble 6’3” 2021 to track as well.   Bloomington Central Catholic Backcourt Plays with Flair Bloomington Central Catholic blitzed Pinckneyville on Friday night out of the jump. They were winning 18 to 9 after the first quarter. A huge reason for that was the play of Cole Davis the senior point guard hit deep three after deep three and also got to the hoop. He converted with acrobatic scoop shots under the rim. Davis finished with 21 points. JT Welch is a 2021 guard that plays with a ton of flair. Shifty handles winning off the dribble making tough shots in the lane as well as dishing to his teammates. Bit of a pesky defender as well. He had 13 points. Andrew Hinderer provided some size in this one against a bigger squad. Thicker bodied power forward finished well around the hoop for 6 points. They won 60-51.   Good Test Prepares Pinckneyville for March Despite the loss this was a good test for Pinckneyville with what they will see in March. It was a big game in a primetime atmosphere on a Friday night in February. The two stars have a chance to carry them in the small school bracket come March. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dawson-yates/">Dawson Yates</a> struggled against Bloomington Central Catholic scoring just 8 points, but he did still managed to grab 7 rebounds and dish out 5 assists. The jumpshot just didn’t fall at all for the senior. Like what he showed as a passer especially working in the pick and roll. Dre Scott is a very intriguing wing at the next level. Great size, strength, and athleticism. He has a burst with the ball and can shoot a little bit from mid range. Most of his damage was done in the paint getting on the glass and finishing around the cup. He went for 16 points. Grant Tanner also chipped in 10 points working well as a mobile finisher.