Early Season WestPAC Standouts – Northern Division

<p>It’s been an exciting first few weeks of the 2020-21 Pennsylvania high school boys basketball season. We’ve already seen some fantastic performances from some of the best high school prospects across the state.</p> <p>Prep Hoops is here to highlight those early season performances, looking in this article specifically at the Northern Division of the Western Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.</p> <p><strong>Drew Lane, Senior, SF North Star</strong></p> <p>Lane has been an offensive juggernaut for North Star to start this season, averaging 18.6 PPG through his first five games while shooting 53 percent from the field. He’s already had two 20-point performances, including a season-high 25 points in a 63-31 win over Shanksville Stonycreek. He’s nearly put up a double-double average so far, also averaging 9.2 RPG, including grabbing 14 boards in North Star’s season-opener. Lane is a senior standout to keep a close eye on throughout the rest of this season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="991236" first="Kaden" last="Claar"], Junior, PG Portage</strong></p> <p>Claar is one of the division leaders in three-point shooting so far this season, shooting 55 percent from beyond the arc. He’s averaged 16.0 PPG and 7.0 RPG through Portage’s first four games of this season and the six-foot junior has shot 51 percent from the field with a 56 percent adjusted field goal percentage this season. Arguably his best x-factor is his defense, which he’s shown off by averaging 2.5 SPG so far. Claar makes opponents uncomfortable when he guards them, leading to a lot of fast break opportunities. He’s been a big factor for Portage averaging nearly 72.0 PPG this season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="991246" first="Logan" last="Kent"], Junior, PG Conemaugh Valley</strong></p> <p>Kent has shown out through his first two games of this season, averaging 17.0 PPG and four made threes a game. He currently paces the division with most made three pointers and most threes per game. He’s also averaging 3.5 APG and 4.0 SPG, two very impressive numbers for the junior point guard who is making his way up leaderboards across the state. This is Kent’s breakout season and he’s already shown why scouts and writers should keep an eye on him in 2021.</p> <p><strong>Ethan Yoder, Junior PF North Star</strong></p> <p>Yoder has been one of the best defensive presences in the division so far this season and he currently leads all players with 9.7 RPG through his first three games. He’s also averaged 6.7 PPG and 3.7 APG while shooting 50 percent from the field. However, his defense has shined through the most so far in 2021 as he’s averaged 3.0 SPG and 1.3 BPG. He’s been a defensive stalwart and has played a key role so far for North Star as it’s 3-0 this season when Yoder has played.</p> <p><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <p>It’s been a competitive division to say the least and <strong>North Star’s Brock Weimer, a junior combo guard/forward</strong>, has averaged 6.0 PPG, 4.2 RPG and 3.2 APG this season. He’s been a big contributor in all facets of the game. Expect him to continue to be a key contributor for the remainder of the season. <strong>Portage’s Mason Kargo, a sophomore point guard</strong>, has been an underrated talent so far, but has shined in the passing game, averaging 3.3 APG this season. He’s also averaged 8.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 4.0 SPG through four games, contributing a lot so far in his second high school season. If you haven’t had your radar on Kargo yet, keep it on him because he’s got superstar potential written all over him.</p> <p>Keep following Prep Hoops for more great content as the 2021 Pennsylvania high school boys basketball season continues.</p>