MAC Shootout: Top Wings

<p><em>The Mid-America Center hosted the 15th annual MAC Shootout this weekend, pitting several teams along the Iowa-Nebraska border against one another. These were the best wings at the event:</em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1049313" first="Braden" last="Thompson"] - Nebraska City</strong></p> <p>Thompson was an issue for the size-deficient Yellowjackets on Friday. The 6’4" junior punished his smaller matchups no matter his position on the court. When he received the ball on the perimeter he utilized his strength and speed to get a shoulder past his man and keep him there. In the lane, he hurt Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson by grabbing offensive rebounds or finishing in traffic. He received the ball in the high post, and his opponents elected to swarm him, to which Thompson calmly responded with some pass fakes or escape dribbles, and he found the right option from there.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890468" first="Frankie" last="Fidler"] - Bellevue West</strong></p> <p>Between the Metro Holiday Tournament a few weeks ago and the MAC shootout this past weekend, I have seen [player_tooltip player_id="890468" first="Frankie" last="Fidler"] struggle with his shot at times. He missed a few jumpers early in this one, just like he has in his past few games. What I love to see is him responding to his misses by working his tail off on the rebounds, and making his opponents guard him at the rim. He earned himself seven free-throw attempts, and hit all seven of them. He was also very active on defense, earning a few steals off skip passes that he read like a cornerback.</p> <p><strong>Adam Perrin - Fremont Mills</strong></p> <p>There were some rough stretches from Adam against the Underwood Eagles. His shooting was painful at times, a few of shots hit nothing but backboard. But his length and activity stood out as unique among the players in that game. His body moves fluidly, and can pop around the floor quickly. One particular play I remember had Adam help cut off the driver from the weakside, sprint back out to the perimeter to guard his man who just received the kickout, and then break down and contain the drive. He forced a bad dribble out of bounds for a turnover.</p> <p><strong>Jack Lusk - Elkhorn North</strong></p> <p>I don’t recall Jack scoring much this weekend, but he was a key offensive piece alongside <strong>Brandon Orgilbald</strong>. Jack operated out of the high post frequently against Lewis Central, trying to collapse that zone. It proved very effective thanks to Jack’s quick decision-making. He always knew the position of the other nine players on the court, and was able to assist his teammates with touch-passes and quick-hitters. There was nothing spectacular about his play, besides consistently making the productive play.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796117" first="Ryan" last="Blum"] - Glenwood</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796117" first="Ryan" last="Blum"]</strong> finished the day with 33 points, although he struggled shooting from distance. After missing a few deep ones early, he worked the defense a little more, getting to his spots 15-18 feet from the basket. He was able to create space with a shoulder bump into a stepback. Once he found his rhythm it seemed he didn’t miss that shot the rest of the game. He had tremendous impact on the defensive end, as well. He was excellent at anticipating the pass and getting deflections. He stole a few cross-court passes in stride just by reading the ball-handlers eyes from across the lane. </p>