Block’s Week 2 Roundup-Senior Performers

<p><em>Recapping some of the basketball action I saw in week 2 of Iowa High School basketball from the senior class.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796155" first="Andrew" last="Formanek"], Clear Lake High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>The leading scorer for his team, struggled in the Monday night outing against Mason City in comparison to what he’s been able to do in other games this season. He did end the game with 10 points and 5 rebounds and used his length and size against the smaller Mohawk defense to his advantage. Formanek on the season is averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds (team leader in both), and has a 1.7 average in steals and blocks. In most games, he is due for a highlight dunk with the athleticism he possesses at 6’6. The future Iowa State walk-on TE, will be a key piece for this Lions team as they work through the North Central Conference and Class 3A.</p> <p><strong>Eric Ritter, Clear Lake High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>I guess you could call the 6’6 duo of Ritter and Formanek the "twin towers" in comparison to most teams in the state, but whatever you want to call them call Ritter efficient. Ritter was one rebound away from a double-double in the game against the Mohawks ending the game with 9 rebounds and 15 points. Ritter was 7/10 in the game finished really well around the rim, benefitting from some really good drives from his teammates and offensive rebounds. This was my first time seeing Ritter play, but I came away impressed with his play as an under-the-radar player for the Lions.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796112" first="Connor" last="Drew"], Ballard High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>The preseason favorite for player of the year in the Racoon River Conference, Drew did really well against Bondurant last Tuesday shooting the ball at an efficient 76.9% from the field. He would finish the game with a double-double, 23 points and 11 rebounds. The 6’6, Winona State commit, is a matchup nightmare for most teams in Class 3A and proved true on Tuesday. He does well to use his size to his advantage but also has nice tough from the mid-long range. At the current moment, Drew is averaging a double-double on the season with 17.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per contest. The Bombers can beat you in a lot of different ways, and with a few different players, and Drew will need to continue this type of production to make a run at the championship in Class 3A. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964880" first="Mason" last="Murphy"], Ballard High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>As has been mentioned before, there are a few players that can make this offense go for the Bombers, and Murphy is one of them from the point guard position. Murphy has 4 total turnovers, though they happened to be in the game I saw last Tuesday, in 3 games of the season. In the game against Bondurant, he finished with 14 points and 5 assists on 44% shooting from the field. Murphy has good ball skills to take his man off the dribble and it helps that he has a quick first step to get by defenders. He can shoot it from 3 at a 50% clip and is good at getting to the free throw line. On the season Murphy is putting in 19 points, 5 assists and 54.3% from the field. </p> <p><strong>Ben Trulson, Bondurant-Farrar High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>In a game where the result was in hand long before the final buzzer, the Bluejays continued to fight and try to find ways to breakdown the Bombers defense on Tuesday. Trulson’s deep shooting was one of the ways that worked for his team. He was Bondurant’s leading scorer on the night and connected on 3 of his 5 3pt attempts and shooting a perfect 100% from the FT line, totaling 13 points. Next to sophomore, leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="956874" first="Colby" last="Collison"] Trulson could be a good weapon to utilize for the Bluejays to make a run in the Racoon River. On the season Trulson is bringing in 11 points per contest and shooting it at a nice 39.1% from 3pt land.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="530135" first="Keaton" last="Kutcher"], Mount Vernon High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>On Friday, Kutcher showed why he is one of the best shooters in the state with his ability to pull-up contested jumpers and ending the game with 33 points on 46.2% shooting and 54.5% 3pt. Kutcher gave everything offensively to put his team into a winning position, but just came up short against a good Clear Creak-Amana team. Kutcher has the ability to take his man off the dribble and shoot a 15 footer, or pull-up from 3pt land and efficiently knock down shots. He also helped his team on the boards pulling down 5 rebounds in the contest. This was Mount Vernon’s first game of the year and Kutcher will look to lead the Mustangs going forward into the rest of the season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="964883" first="Jayden" last="Meeker"], Mount Vernon High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>Another impressive senior on this Mustangs team was [player_tooltip player_id="964883" first="Jayden" last="Meeker"], who ended the game with a double-double on 17 points and 10 rebounds. He was effective at getting into the lane with his length and quickness to turn the corner on defenders and finish at the basket. Being this was the Mustangs first game of the season, Meeker was a surprise contributor when I watched and could be the 2nd scorer Kutcher and company need. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Christian-Withrow.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1078601" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/Christian-Withrow-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796141" first="Christian" last="Withrow"], Clear Creek-Amana High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>Ending the game one rebound short of a double-double, Withrow was the obvious facilitator for the Clippers on Friday night against a tough Mount Vernon team. He would finish the game with 26 points and 9 rebounds, but did more than the stat sheet says for his team. He used his go-to spin move effectively to get into the lane and get a shot or move the ball throughout the offense to get a good shot. Efficiency was the main key for Withrow on Friday as he shot 8/12 from the field, 1/1 from 3, and 9/9 from the FT line. An up and down season so far for CCA, Withrow continues to contribute at a good level for the Clippers averaging 20 points per ball game.</p> <p><strong>Ryan Navara, Clear Creek-Amana High School (2021)</strong></p> <p>Navara was the second offensive weapon for the Clippers as he made 2/3 from the 3 point line and shot 50% from the field. He brought in 6 rebounds for his team and played big inside when needed. He’s good in the spot-up shooting positions where he can catch and shoot and is good around the rim to make easy buckets. On the season, Navara is putting in 13.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game on 52.6% FG.  </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>