Semifinal Standouts: Class 4 District 7

<p>Prep Hoops was on hand Thursday night for Class 4 District 7 semi-final action from St. Charles High School. In game 1, top seeded McCluer used a strong second half to defeat Parkway North 65-43. In the nightcap, second seed, St. Dominic, rode a blistering hot shooting performance to a 72-37 win over St. Charles to set up Saturday’s championship game.</p> <p>Here is a look at the standouts from Thursday night’s games:</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>McCluer</strong></span>:</p> <p>6’5 Sr Kam Hubbard: Kam, as per usual, filled the stat sheet in somewhat limited minutes. He really made his mark defensively, using his athleticism to secure multiple steals, blocks, and rebounds. On the offensive end, he was a force around the rim and threw down several impressive dunks in a big second half performance. His efforts caught the eye of several college staffs in attendance.</p> <p>6’0 Sr [player_tooltip player_id="822886" first="Jeremiah" last="Johnson"]: Jeremiah did what he normally does: handle the ball and run the show with poise and lock up on the defensive end. During periods of time where some of his other top scoring options were on the bench, Johnson was more aggressive looking to score and showed the ability to break his man down off the bounce and get to the rim. He is deceptively long and rebounds well for a guard of his size.</p> <p>5’7 Sr Josh Donaldson: Josh was a critical zone buster against Parkway North. He knocked down a three from each corner early in the game and added a third from long-distance later.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>St. Dominic</strong></span>:</p> <p>6’2 Jr [player_tooltip player_id="824155" first="Brendan" last="Deters"]: Brendan is a really heads up player that makes his mark in every facet of the game. He knocked down one wing three that I can recall, but filled up the score-sheet with backdoor cuts, well timed leak-outs in transition, and a tight handle with sneaky athleticism that got him to the rim for some tough finishes.</p> <p>6’4 So Ryan Schwendeman: Another crafty wing forward for the Crusaders that plays with a relentless motor. Proved to be a big time threat as a pick and pop guy who can stretch the floor. Had some strong rip and go drives and got to the charity stripe. Aggressive on the offensive glass for put back opportunities.</p> <p>6’1 Jr [player_tooltip player_id="824200" first="Anthony" last="Lewis"]: Anthony is a big time shooter. He has a thick frame that allows him to mix it up inside but his strength is the long ball. He gets into his shot extremely quick off the catch and has elite range. He hit at least four three pointers, a pair of which were from beyond NBA range.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>St. Charles</strong></span>:</p> <p>6’0 Fr Barry Thomas Jr: This was not Barry’s best game, but he is definitely a rising frosh to keep an eye on. He is extremely long, which suggests he has a few more inches to grow. Blazing fast in transition and has a fairly advanced skill set off the bounce.</p> <p>6’7 Jr Magnus Kloepper: At 6’7 with good length and mobility, Magnus has potential to be a nice player moving forward. He competes on the glass and can step out in the corner and knock down the three.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Parkway North</strong></span>: </p> <p>5’10 Jr Keashon Petty: Keashon kept the Vikings very much in the game with McCluer until deep into the third quarter. Showed the ability to knock down the three, but his quickness off the bounce is his best attribute. He lived in the lane where he mixes floaters, scoops, and runners to find the bottom of the net and navigated his way through the defense quite well in transition.</p>