Small School Spotlight: Lapwai

<p>The Lapwai Wildcats have long been one of the most exciting small teams to watch in the state of Idaho. The Wildcats run an uptempo offense which attempts to play fast and score lots of baskets quickly to finish off their opponents early. Lapwai finished the 2019-20 season with a third-place win at the state championships after amassing a 22-4 overall record and a conference record of 11-1 under head coach Zachary Eastman. The Wildcats will look to make a great run at the state title this year thanks to a young roster full of talented players that have lots of varsity experience. Continue reading for a breakdown of a few players to watch for the Wildcats in the upcoming season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="969572" first="AJ" last="Ellenwood"], 2022: </strong>A 6’4" forward for the Wildcats, Ellenwood has great size and footwork for an underclassman. He can finish well all-around the hoop and is skilled with both hands. AJ holds his seals and always presents a target for guards to throw to, and most importantly, he always catches and secures the ball. Ellenwood has great touch around the rim and he is patient in his approach to the basket. AJ is not afraid to kick the ball out and re-seal to get better positioning and he is a willing passer that will find the open man on the perimeter. I would expect Ellenwood to increase his impact on the floor this season and help the Wildcats find their way back to the state tournament.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921079" first="Titus" last="Yearout"], 2022: </strong>One of the best scorers at any level in the state, the 6’2" guard is a scoring machine for the Wildcats, Last season, Titus averaged 29.5 points per game to go along with 5 assists per game and nearly 7 rebounds per game. He has great size for a guard and plays hard every possession. Simply put: Yearout can play! He has a great jumper from outside and loves to shoot off the dribble. Yearout finishes extremely well around the rim with both hands and is not afraid to drive and kick to the open man for an easy shot. For a guard, Titus rebounds really well and always sticks his nose into the play to impact it in someway on both offense and defense. Watch for Titus to be one of the top scorers in the state again this season.</p>