4A Great 8 Top Performers

<p>The 4A Great 8 games came and went this past weekend, but not without some standout performances. Players went out and gave it their all, and while some advanced to the next round, others did not. Here are some of the top performances from the Great 8. </p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">Jacob Bartholomew – Mead</h3> <p>The Mead versus Lincoln game was one of the most entertaining games that I have seen all season long. The Lancers hung close and had a problematic ending. Still, it was entertaining nonetheless as Mead pulled off a 69-63 win, and the player that had one of the best overall games on the day was senior big man Jacob Bartholomew. Bartholomew had himself a day as he finished with 14 points in the game as he went 6-6 from the field. He has excellent size, moves well, and runs the floor, and he also has a great connection with his guards. He read what the defense was giving him and put himself in positions to score. He had his way inside, and the play that stands out most to me was him starting on the baseline, reading that his guard wanted to hit him backdoor, and he exploded for an alley-oop finish.  Bartholomew is a player worth paying attention to.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="915339" first="Will" last="Maher"](pictured) – Mead</h3> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="915339" first="Will" last="Maher"] came into the game with the reputation as a big-time shot-maker that shoots 55% from beyond the arc. This sharpshooter stepped up yet again as he had 21 points to lead the way for the Mavericks. It was not just the shots for Mead’s leading scorer but the timing of those shots that stood out most. He hit them to begin the game and when the Lancers went on runs as well. He also had seven rebounds, and his play closed out Lincoln as it got the Mavericks closer to their goal of being crowned the champs.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">Micah Lamberth – Classical Academy</h3> <p>Micah Lamberth is a player that we spotlighted going into the game as it was known that if Classical Academy wanted their season to keep going, it would take a solid game from their senior swiss-army-knife. Well, while the efficiency was not all the way there, he was still able to finish with 16 points in the game, and he made sure he was the player that the Titans were going to run through. The junior went 4-6 from beyond the arc, which spaced out the floor, and it allowed Classical Academy to get inside. He also had six rebounds, two assists, and a block to lead Classical Academy in their 42-39 close win. Lamberth is one of the most underrated players in the state that surely will be playing at the next level, and the Titans will lean on him to get another victory on Friday.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">Jaxson Herring – Pueblo East</h3> <p>Pueblo East saw their season come to an end as they got off to a slow start in the second half of the game, which ended up being the difference in the game. Northfield took off from there and sealed things off as the Nighthawks bottled the Eagles up defensively. A player that fought until the very end for Pueblo East is junior forward Jaxson Herring. Herring is a physical big man that wants to bang inside and throw off the timing. Offensively, he is going to stick with it, and when he sees something that he likes, he consistently goes after it. In the Great 8, he liked what he saw. Herring had many looks at the rim. He grabbed 11 rebounds and went straight back up with a few but also established himself on the block and kept attacking. Herring finished with 20 points in the game and gave his team a chance at it but could not overcome the second-half deficit.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;">[player_tooltip player_id="915290" first="Ty" last="Foster"] – Lincoln</h3> <p>Foster stood out for the Lancers although it came in defeat. 22 points in a 69-63 loss that was closer and that was with 16 points in the second half and an outstanding fourth quarter where Foster got the Lancers back in the game. Foster hit two 3-pointers in the game, played with composure in a hostile environment, and gave Lincoln a chance to win the game. His last couple of games showed up why he is one of the top floor generals in the state, and his finishing abilities against a team with height and just continuing to fight and chip at the lead showed me the resiliency he played with this season. A school is going to be lucky to have a high IQ competitor that gets after it.</p>