Top performers of the week 2/8/21-2/14/21

<p>Earlier in the second week of February, Michael Trivisonno went out and saw three games throughout Northeast Ohio. His first stop was to Lakewood for the marquee matchup between St. Edward and Lutheran East. The Eagles were able to escape with a 52-51 victory after trailing for most of the entire game. Up next was a trip to Hudson where the Explorers came away with a 49-47 overtime win against Cuyahoga Falls. </p> <p>He rounded out his week with a trip to Gilmour Academy, where the Lancers squared off against Walsh Jesuit. Gilmour trailed for most of the game but made a comeback effort early in the fourth quarter when [player_tooltip player_id="1078689" first="Erik" last="Stern"] went down with an injury for the Warriors. In the end, the Lancers fell 62-53. Here are some of the top performers from this week’s games. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Top Performers</span></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="921749" first="Michael" last="Bova"] | 6-2 Jr | St. Edward</strong></p> <p>No player heated up as quickly as Bova did, especially in the second half. The junior racked up 11 points in the third quarter alone en route to a 29-point performance in pulling off a comeback victory against a Lutheran East team that got hit down in the final two quarters. Bova was electric throughout the night, getting to the rim often as he's able to beat defenders to the basket due to his quickness and low dribble. On most nights, the offense will run through Bova and his ability to get to the rim. One aspect of his game that I've seen improve throughout the season is his ability to sink contested mid-range jump shots on the run. </p> <p><strong><a class="pn-player-link" href="https://prephoops.com/player/chaze-harris/"><span class="info-box"><span class="player-img"><img class=" lazyloaded" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/IMG-7578-150x150.jpg" data-src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/02/IMG-7578-150x150.jpg" /></span></span></a>Kyler Tepus | 6-1 Sr | Cuyahoga Falls</strong></p> <p>The senior guard was all over the floor for Chagrin Falls Feb. 10. He scored a game-high 27 points and displayed a smooth jump shot for most of the night. In fact, he scored the team’s first 13 points of the game en route to 16 first-half points. He did most of his damage behind the arc, not really showing off his off-the-ball skills much in this game. His jump shot was fairly consistent throughout the night and when he gets going, it’s hard to stop him from cooling off. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1078683" first="David" last="Gentry"] | 6-4 Sr | Hudson</strong></p> <p>Hudson as a team made an emphasis to give their senior leader the ball early and often throughout the game. He scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds during the team’s win against Chagrin Falls. Gentry was one of the most physical players on the floor, often winning the one-on-one battles down low to score easy layups over smaller defenders. In the first two quarters, he committed four turnovers but bounced back as the game went on. Rebounding was something that stood out to me in Gentry’s game as a whole. He’d be the most demanding player fighting for loose balls while displaying a nice spin move on the block that allowed him to get past defenders for layups as well. </p> <p><strong>Adisa Molton | 5-11 Soph | Gilmour</strong></p> <p>Finishing with a game-high 19 points Friday night, the quicksilver point guard came alive in the fourth quarter. He scored 12 points in the final eight minutes of action, getting to the rim often while displaying an outside jump shot that was able to connect on three 3-pointers. His first step is very quick and knows how to control the pace of play with the ball in his hands. One thing I did notice from the sophomore is that he has a tendency of trying to split by screens, often leading to jump ball situations or turnovers. Molton is still a developing guard but has the tangibles to be a real threat for Gilmour during the playoffs. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1078689" first="Erik" last="Stern"] | 6-8 Sr | Walsh Jesuit</strong></p> <p>A big who likes to push the ball up the floor, Stern was able to use his length to his advantage against an undersized Gilmour team. He often found himself looking ahead once he got a rebound, leading to easy transition baskets throughout the first half. Stern was able able to detect double teams well, knowing when to give the ball up to the open man behind the arc. The senior forward appeared to make a handful of high IQ players during the win but injured his left ankle after going up for a fastbreak dunk. It’s uncertain what his status is at the moment, but the offense runs through Stern at Walsh Jesuit and his presence will certainly be missed if he’s unable to go moving forward. </p>