Kansas Mid Season Tournament Week: Tuesday Notables

<p>Around Kansas, Mid Season tournaments are kicking up and great matchups are getting lined up. The players will have great opportunities to help their schools make a statement for the second half of the season. Let’s take a look around the state at some notable games from players on Tuesday.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Blake Rucker, 6 ft Guard, 2024, Eureka HS, Hillsboro Invitational: The freshman guard put on a show on Tuesday night, making an early statement in Eureka’s win over Clay Center. Stepping up big time, the freshman scored 22 points including 2 three balls and was aggressive on the attack getting to the foul line 12 times. Rucker will be a player that we will need to keep a major eye on not only this season, but for the next 4 years.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Gabe Valentine, 6’2 Wing, 2021, Eureka HS, Hillsboro Invitational: Valentine was a steady force throughout the game for Eureka in their win over Clay Center. He scored 14 points in the win, getting to the rim at will and played very efficiently. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076411" first="Fred" last="Criqui"], 6’7 Forward, 2022, St Mary’s, Nemaha Central Tournament (Pictured) : The big fella imposed his will on Hiawatha in their opening round matchup. He finished with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocks, completely dominating the painted area. On offense the arsenal was on display, getting to both hands on finishes and scoring in tight windows in the painted area. His rim protection was the difference in the second half, making it a pain for Hiawatha to get anything going on the offensive end.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1072881" first="Jayce" last="Korf"], 6’3 Guard, 2021, Hugoton HS, Sterling Invitational: Korf put together a solid offensive performance in Hugoton’s opening round win. He posted 17 points, showing off the elite shooting ability going 4 of 9 from 3, while adding 3 rebounds. He also got it done on the defensive end, recording 3 steals and a number of other deflections helping get his squad out into transition. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a class="Anchor__StyledAnchor-sc-1fyvlgd-0 folwNZ" href="https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/ryle-riddlesperger/S8OHPgx2EeqAzqREozo6lw/default.htm">[player_tooltip player_id="1080203" first="Ryle" last="Riddlesperger"]</a>, 6 ft Guard, 2023, Hugoton HS, Sterling Invitational: One of the toughest point guards in the 2023 class, Riddlesperger controlled the tempos and pace of the game on Tuesday night, setting the tone early and often. He shot the ball extremely well from beyond the arc going 4 of 5 from 3, making him really tough to guard. The talented Hugoton guard finished with 14 points and 3 assists.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Non-Tourney Standout</strong></p> <p><strong>Alex Disberger</strong>, 6'2 Guard, 2022 and <strong>Mason Richards</strong>, 6'2 Guard, 2021, Sacred Heart: In some non tourney action, the junior Disberger stepped up big time for his Sacred Heart team scoring 15 points in a win to snap a 3 game losing streak for them. Richards was Mr. Efficient on the night shooting upwards of 60% from the field and finished with 14 points in the victory.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Monday Shoutout</strong></p> <p>Ty Hofer, 6'4 Wing, 2022, Basehor-Linwood, Basehor-Linwood Tournament: In a big opening round win for the Bobcats, Hofer was ready to roll and shot the ball with extreme confidence. He finished with 16 points in the ball game and is now shooting the ball from 3 at over 50% on the season. As his confidence grows, so does his game, so look for Hofer to continue to make a splash for the talented Basehor team.</p>