Block’s Week 3 Roundup-Junior Performers

<p><em>Recapping some of the basketball action I saw in week 3 of Iowa High School basketball from the junior class.</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Josh Baucum, Grand View Christian (2022)</strong></p> <p>Grand View Christian has an argument to be in the top 10 teams in Class 1A, and they seem like a team put together to make a run into the playoffs later in the season. One thing they will have to do is better take care of the ball, and Baucum is apart of that. What Baucum does bring to the table is his shooting and shot-making ability. In the game against Meskwaki Settlement, Baucum finished with 24 points total on 50% shooting. If he can clean up his turnovers, he will be a key player for this Thunder team moving forward in Class 1A.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/31-Manny-Hammonds.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1066227" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/31-Manny-Hammonds-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962674" first="Manny" last="Hammonds"], Grand View Christian (2022)</strong></p> <p>Though he didn’t play in the game I was able to see this past Monday, Hammonds is filling it up from the field with a 20.4 points per game average on 43.3% shooting. Like his counterpart, he will need to clean up turnovers when he returns to game action but this guard duo together will be hard to stop on the offensive end throughout the season. </p> <p><strong>Osceola Tyon, Meskwaki Settlement High School (2022)</strong></p> <p>On the other side of  Monday’s game, junior guard Osceola Tyon was impressive in his shot making ability as well. Tyon has a nice looking shooting stroke from both deep and inside the 3pt line, and though GVC’s frontline gave the Warriors fits, Tyon and company found ways to keep the game competitive. The combo of Tyon and [player_tooltip player_id="796181" first="Taurice" last="Grant"] will be help this team keep up with opponents. Tyon also pulled in 7 rebounds for his team against the Thunder, but did deal with some first half foul trouble. Meskwaki will be a tough out when it comes to the end of the season, and I feel they’re getting better every game early on this season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="962601" first="Gunner" last="Meyer"], Wapsie Valley High School (2022)</strong></p> <p>The athletic swing man, actually came out and showed his shooting prowess on Saturday against Decorah. Meyer shot 4/7 on 57.1% from the 3 point line though known for his athleticism and highlight dunks. He would end the game with 16 points and 2 rebounds on 46.2% from the field overall. The catch and shoot from Meyer helped propel the Warriors to victory in an up and down battle with several different lead changes. Playing in a tough conference, Wapsie will need to continue to make shots from the perimeter, but also to work on getting the ball inside and using Meyer’s athleticism.</p> <p><strong>Jacob Pipho, Decorah High School (2022)</strong></p> <p>After a slow 1st half for the Vikings, Pipho was the standout player in the 2nd half helping them secure a lead for a period of time. He ended up scoring 16 points on 7/16 shooting from the field but was scoring in different ways. Out in transition, hitting jumpshots, and was the only player for Decorah to hit more than one 3pt attempt on Saturday. He added 5 rebounds and a steal to his stat line in the loss to Wapsie Valley. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>