Top Title Game Performers: Greenwood vs Crane

<p>Prep Hoops was on hand for the Class 2, District 11 Championship Game from College of the Ozarks Saturday afternoon. This heavyweight bout featured two of the top ranked teams in the state in #1 Greenwood and #4 Crane. It is a shame that one of these teams had to see their season end in district play because both are more than capable of making a run all the way to Springfield.</p> <p>Greenwood appeared to be taking control of the game right from the tip and got out to a comfortable 9-0 lead, but Crane woke up and proved to be very much up for the challenge. The Pirates were within 7 at the half and refused to go down without a fight, but in the end Greenwood prevailed with a hard-fought 72-63 championship victory.</p> <p>Here's a look at our top performers from this exciting District Title game:</p> <p><strong>6'5 Jr Aminu Mohammed | Greenwood</strong></p> <p>In my opinion, Aminu is the best junior in the state at any level and he continued his path of destruction Saturday with a ho-hum 38 point, 20 rebound performance. He was the most physically gifted player on the floor and was dominant on the glass and made a living slashing to the basket. He had the highlight play of the game when he split defenders and threw down a rim-rocking jam. He continues to show his improvement from beyond the arc, knocking down back to back contested three-pointers to give the Blue Jays some cushion. He is a special talent that brings an old school work ethic and genuine unselfish approach to the game, which is a large part of what makes Greenwood the favorites to repeat in Class 2</p> <p><strong>5'10 Jr Grant Harper | Greenwood</strong></p> <p>Grant has always impressed me with his poise and effectiveness as a floor general and distributor for the Blue Jays, but he has really come on as a scorer as of late. He came up big with 11 points on a mix of floaters and runners with nice touch and as per usual pitched in 8 assists. The more of a threat Grant is as a scorer, the more imposing Greenwood is moving forward. He is a key piece to this run.</p> <p><strong>6'5 Fr Kaden Stuckey | Greenwood</strong></p> <p>I have seen significant improvement in Kaden between seeing him at the Blue&amp;Gold and on Saturday. He has always possessed impressive size and athleticism for his age, but he has developed into a confident, intense, and crucial contributor for the Jays. The long, lefty forward set the tone right away with a tough turnaround in the paint, a strong hoop and harm finish, and a well timed cut on an in-bounds play for a lay-up. Later he drilled a 17 foot jumper and was instrumental defensively and on the glass.</p> <p><strong>5'8 Sr <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyler-campbell/">Tyler Campbell</a> | Crane</strong></p> <p>Ty put the Pirates on his back and gave a valiant effort. He may be one of the more underrated point guards in the state. Overlooked by his size, Campbell is a wizard with the ball and can weave his way through trouble with the best of them. He dropped a defender with an ankle breaking crossover, knocked down the three ball in key moments, and displayed multi-level scoring ability with mid-range pull-ups and drives to the cup. He scored a team-high 24 points for the Pirates</p> <p><strong>5'8 Jr Isaiah Smith | Crane</strong></p> <p>Isaiah was clutch for Crane on Saturday. With is team down 9-0 early and reeling, he went on a personal 5-0 run to change momentum and the Pirates were much better from there. He contributed a crucial 14 points that included four three-pointers, all of which seemed to come in key moments.</p>