Lakota East 57 @ Hamilton 33 Recap

<p>Lakota East is coming off their most successful season in school history. COVID-19 prevented the Thunderhawks a chance to make the final four. Despite losing a couple starters from last year, Lakota East looked dominant once again in their season opener, the Thunderhawks looked primed to defend their GMC title. Lakota East is known for their great defense, and they prevented Hamilton from really ever getting out in transition and finding easy points. At times it felt like it was impossible for the Big Blue to score in the half-court for long stretches in the second half. Combine this with the 0-100 speed of [player_tooltip player_id="593930" first="Nate" last="Johnson"] and the Thunderhawks are going to be very tough to beat this season. Here were the top performers from the game.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="593930" first="Nate" last="Johnson"], 6’4 PG Lakota East 2021: Johnson is one of the most explosive athletes in the state, just switches speed and explodes effortlessly. Back-to-back slams (was almost 3) in the second quarter proves how dominant of an athlete Johnson is relative to his peers. A 360 jam and an absolutely filthy euro-step put the bow on a dominating performance from the Thunderhawks. I thought at times Johnson was a bit too careless with the handle, finds himself trying to do too much in traffic and lost the ball a few times. Despite this I thought Johnson was terrific in his senior season debut.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="921807" first="Jadon" last="Coles"], 6’2 SG Lakota East 2022: Coles was making shots from all over the gym. His physical frame allows him to bully smaller defenders. Had a nice turnaround jumper, also a quick jab and go into a mid-range pull-up. It was a complete performance and Coles is a prospect who should be receiving a lot more buzz if he’s even coming close to replicating this type of play in the future. I also thought he’s grown from the 6’2 height measurement that we currently have Coles listed at.</p> <p>Kyle Poppe, 6’2 PF Lakota East 2022: Poppe makes open shots, battles on the interior and guarded a kid almost a foot taller than him most of the night. That’s the exact type of performance you need from a role player if Lakota East wants to defend their GMC title and potentially take down Moeller this season.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1090160" first="Jack" last="Kronauge"], 6’2 SG Lakota East 2023: Kronauge seems to be adapting well to a new system after coming over from St Xavier. Doesn’t get to flash his self-creation ability in a ball-movement centered offense but that’s okay for a Sophomore. Doesn’t appear to be afraid of the moment as he made a first quarter buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Made a couple plays that reminded you he’s an underclassmen transfer as he led the team in turnovers with three.</p> <p>Sage Tolentino, 7’0 C Hamilton 2022: Tolentino is a Auburn commit, coming to Hamilton from Hawaii. Tolentino’s presence is overwhelming on the interior. Not very strong in the core so he wasn’t able to get position every possession. His guards struggled giving him the ball in the post which limited his effectiveness. Still one of the most intriguing prospects in the state and a kid that basketball junkies should want to see this season.<br /> Ej Kapihe, 6’4 SF Hamilton 2022: Kapihe is a physical wing who looks to attack the basket with a lot of aggression. Grabbed 9 rebounds in season opener Vs Mount Healthy. Made a 3-pointer in this game showing his outside range. Hamilton doesn’t have a lot of spacing which limits his slashing ability, but Kapihe is an intriguing wing prospect in the 2022 class.</p> <div class="adL"> </div>