Stars from Non-Public B South

<p>The opening round of Non-Public B South was exciting as some of the top players in the state were in action. Some of those top players put up big performances as they carried their team to the next round. Here are some of the top stars from the opening round of Non-Public B South.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jamir-watkins/">[player_tooltip player_id="850324" first="Jamir" last="Watkins"]</a>, 6'7 SF Trenton Catholic 2020</strong></p> <p>The VCU commit could not be stopped in Trenton Catholic's 81-53 victory over Wardlaw-Hartridge. Watkins scored a game-high 20 points, which included a pair of big-time dunks. He showed off his shooting ability by knocking down three shots from behind the arc and played good perimeter defense on <strong>Mehki Huey</strong>. His solid performance against the Rams is huge as Watkins will take on star junior forward <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trey-patterson-2/">[player_tooltip player_id="850499" first="Trey" last="Patterson"]</a></strong> in the next round.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/freddie-young/">[player_tooltip player_id="850548" first="Freddie" last="Young"]</a> Jr., 6'3 SG Trenton Catholic 2020</strong></p> <p>Watkins may have paced Trenton Catholic in scoring, but it was Young Jr.'s control of the game that made the Iron Mikes unstoppable in the first. The 6'3 junior dished out nine assists on the game with only one turnover, showing the control he had over the offense. Young Jr. was able to break down the Rams' defense and find open shooters on the perimeter. He was also an efficient scorer as he finished up with 13 points on 6-7 shooting. Young Jr. will have to continue his efficient offense against a Rutgers Prep backcourt of <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/noah-harris/">[player_tooltip player_id="850507" first="Noah" last="Harris"]</a> </strong>and <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ryan-pettit/">[player_tooltip player_id="901961" first="Ryan" last="Petit"]</a></strong>, who are good on-ball defenders.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/giovanni-cessel/">[player_tooltip player_id="896664" first="Giovanni" last="Cessel"]</a>, 6'9 C Holy Cross Prep 2020</strong></p> <p>Delaware commit <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/gianmarco-arletti/">[player_tooltip player_id="896450" first="Gianmarco" last="Arletti"]</a> </strong>normally controls the scoring for the Crusaders, but Cessel was the star in the 58-39 victory over Gloucester Catholic. The 6'9 senior scored a game-high 25 points and ripped down 15 rebounds as the Rams could not stop the big man down low. Cessel consistently drew contact around the basket as he knocked down 13 free throws during the game. He scored with ease down low and played solid interior defense. Arletti only finished with 13 points, so Cessel's ability to be the main scorer is huge for Holy Cross Prep's success moving forward.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/marcus-pierce/">[player_tooltip player_id="900329" first="Marcus" last="Pierce"]</a>, 6'1 CG St. Joseph (Hammonton) 2021</strong></p> <p>Ranney held Pierce to no points in the first half, but he exploded in the second half in St. Joseph (Hammonton)'s 54-47 win. The 6'1 junior guard poured in 19 points in the second half as the Panthers struggled to keep him out of the lane. Pierce used his size and explosiveness to get to the basket and knew how to finish tough shots through traffic. His ability to catch fire in the second half was huge as sophomore <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/daniel-skillings/">[player_tooltip player_id="901951" first="Daniel" last="Skillings"]</a></strong> only finished with 12 points. Pierce has been playing at a high level all season and will need to continue his play against Holy Cross Prep in the quarterfinals.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaden-honis/">[player_tooltip player_id="850365" first="Jaden" last="Honis"]</a>, 6'2 PG Immaculata 2020</strong></p> <p>The Dominican commit was the best player on the floor in Immaculata's 68-50 win over St. Rose. The 6'2 senior was hard to contain off the bounce and drew contact almost every time he got around the basket. Honis ran the offense smoothly as he finished with six assists on the game with some of them going to his little brother <strong>Isaiah</strong> <strong>Honis</strong>, who knocked down five three-pointers. He has been playing at a high level all season for Immaculata and Honis will need to continue that play in the quarterfinals.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Other Names to Know:</strong></span></p> <p><strong>Naji Wright, 6'6 PF Trenton Catholic 2020</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ryan-zan/">[player_tooltip player_id="901964" first="Ryan" last="Zan"]</a>, 6'5 PF Ranney 2022</strong></p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/darren-tuck/">[player_tooltip player_id="931021" first="Darren" last="Tuck"]</a>, 6'4 SF Immaculata 2022</strong></p> <p><strong>Mehki Huey, 5'10 PG Wardlaw-Hartridge 2022</strong></p>