Millard North Over Kearney: Standout Performances & Evals

<p>It was the end of a long week for Millard North as they took on Kearney Friday (2/19/21) evening. The Mustangs first earning a nationally relevant win over the much-heralded Oak Hill Academy program one week ago, then coming up a point short in a close loss to Omaha Creighton Prep while trying to fight the inevitable emotional letdown. </p> <p>With the end of that emotional rollercoaster week, Millard North (22-2) battled early indifference to pull away from the Bearcats (13-8) 73-43 to wrap up their regular season as the Cornhusker State’s #2 ranked team; and now heads into tourney play.</p> <p>Players of Note:</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Jadin-Johnson.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1136864 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Jadin-Johnson-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="890461" first="Jadin" last="Johnson"]  PG  Senior  6’4  Millard North</p> <p>Johnson (#4 pictured) had a career night.  The 6’4 point guard ironically missed his first three shots, all 3pt attempts from the right corner. However, that would be almost the only shots the Old Dominion University commit would miss the rest of the evening, en route to a career-high 22 point performance. Jadin was "spectacular by not trying to be spectacular".  After those first three attempts from downtown, he adjusted and moved his jump shots into the mid-range, found big men [player_tooltip player_id="890471" first="Tyler" last="Sandoval"] and [player_tooltip player_id="787647" first="Jasen" last="Green"] inside of perfectly dropped dimes through small windows, and finished at the rim. His consistent play was illustrated by scoring 12 and 10 points per half respectively.  When ODU gets the Millard North grad on campus, he will need to focus on solidifying his 3pt range consistency; but if he continues to simply "play within himself" the Monarchs could have a good one coming to Norfolk, VA.</p> <p>Preston Pearson  CG  Senior  6’2  Kearney</p> <p>Pearson showed the toughness of his "first sport" Friday evening.  The 1st Team All-Super State Quarterback (according to the Lincoln Journey Star) did all he could to withstand the constant barrage of bigger bodies everywhere on the floor, as the Mustangs pressed until early in the fourth quarter when the game was becoming decided.  The 205 pound lefty guard broke the press with timely passes or hardnosed ballhandling against a deep Mustang roster that threw fresh defenders his way throughout the evening. Still, the Chadron State University football commit stayed solid and scored the ball as well. While Preston did hit a 3pt shot, it was his attacking finish that got him into double-digits.  A pass-first point guard, he was still able to get to the left side of the floor and just get his shots over would-be shot blockers; keeping the Bearcats close for a while.  His leadership skills and toughness shown this evening should serve him well as a four-year college football student-athlete.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Jasen-Green.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1136865 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/Jasen-Green-218x300.jpg" alt="" width="218" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="787647" first="Jasen" last="Green"]  PF  Junior  6’7  Millard North</p> <p>While [player_tooltip player_id="890479" first="Saint" last="Thomas"] scored 17 points for the Mustangs, 12 of those came after the competitive aspect of the game was over.  It was Green (#35 pictured), who, combined with Johnson, had his fingerprints on the contest while the game was still in doubt.  The 6’7 junior has gone from an intriguing prospect to a bonified recruit in the course of the last year and a half for veteran coach Tim Cannon’s program. His frame had gotten even stronger and at 222 lbs he still runs with the enthusiasm of the excitable sophomore he was a season ago. The #2 ranked junior in the state, according to Prep Hoops, finished the evening with 15 points and showed soft hands that are impressive for a big man, catching quick passes by streaking guards [player_tooltip player_id="773443" first="Hunter" last="Sallis"] and Johnson, or fending off defenders and catching well-placed high low drop-in assists from Thomas and Sandoval. His ability to score by early positioning and then hold that advantage without fatiguing, combined with his mid-range touch and strong finishes above the rim, and you have traits that have earned him standing offers from such programs as: Nebraska, TCU, Standford, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Wake Forest. With him stating his recruitment being "wide open", this list will surely continue to grow.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1049314" first="Jack" last="Mundorf"]  CG  Junior  5’9  Kearney</p> <p>While Preston Pearson was battling the Mustang press in the backcourt, it was Mundorf who benefitted from the pressure in the frontcourt.  The 5’9 sharpshooter was set-up and ready to shoot, oftentimes knowing an uncontested early shot might be the Bearcats’ best chance compared to an almost always contested shot over much taller players (at every position) in their half-court offense. So the junior fired away; hitting a game-high 4 three-point shots and ending the evening with a team-high 14 points. Mundorf has the confidence and quick release of a proven 3pt shooter.  Heading into his senior campaign he will need to continue to add strength and ballhandling skills, especially with the exit of Pearson.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>