Week 9 Recap: Saturday Standouts Part 1

<p><em>Following an exciting Friday night slate across Nebraska, Saturday brought about some more impressive showings from all of the talents on display across the state. </em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="773431" first="Chucky" last="Hepburn"] - Bellevue West</strong></p> <p>It was a weekend to remember for the future Wisconsin Badger. Following Friday night’s triple-double on the road against Millard North, the Bellevue West senior had a second half for the ages on the road against Creighton Prep on Saturday. Scoring 28 of his season-high 32 points in the second half of Bellevue West’s come from behind win against the Junior Jays, Hepburn did what he does best, slashing to the rim using his impressive layup package, as well as some big-time makes from 3 point range. He also added 8 rebounds and 7 assists to his stat sheet stuffing performance in willing the Thunderbirds to their second big road win of the weekend. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1007526" first="Justin" last="Sitti"] - Omaha Creighton Prep</strong></p> <p>Dueling with Hepburn throughout the tilt between Prep and Bellevue West was Prep guard [player_tooltip player_id="1007526" first="Justin" last="Sitti"]. The senior guard signed his letter of intent last month to attend Morningside College. Against Bellevue West, Sitti did a little bit of everything for the Junior Jays and had the best game of his senior campaign so far. He notched 21 points on 7-10 shooting to go along with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Sitti was also a perfect 3-3 from 3 point range. A strong, physical guard, Sitti is consistently getting after it on both ends of the court. I’ve always been impressed by Sitti’s defense, but on Saturday night he displayed just how capable of a scorer he can be. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890589" first="Jayden" last="Dawson"] - Omaha Central </strong></p> <p>Dawson might have close to the most possible upside of any guard in the 2022 class. He’s shot it incredibly well from 3 since he first saw varsity minutes last year as a sophomore, and is again sitting at 47% from the field and 40% from 3 this season. Dawson notched 26 points on Saturday night to lead Central to a home win against a scrappy Lincoln Southwest squad. This included 6 makes from beyond the 3 point arc. Dawson plays strong and has a quiet confidence about him that I like a lot. He’ll be a key for Central’s success as we get closer and closer to the postseason and certainly should never be left open. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958179" first="Marcus" last="Shakeer"] - Omaha Benson </strong></p> <p>Shakeer just keeps scoring. On Saturday against Lincoln High, he once again broke the 30 point mark for the fifth time this season, notching 36 points and 10 rebounds against Lincoln High. This included 6 made 3 pointers. Shakeer is a crazy athletic guard, who can score with the best of them, and is guaranteed at least one highlight-reel dunk per game. He is one of the state’s top scorers for good reason, as he is far and away one of the best pure bucket getters in Nebraska. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1018738" first="Connor" last="Millikan"] - Platteview</strong></p> <p>Speaking of bucket getters, [player_tooltip player_id="1018738" first="Connor" last="Millikan"] is already among the best in the state and he’s only a sophomore. On Saturday he led the Trojans to a conference title win over Wahoo by notching 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. Millikan is already very skilled in getting to the rim and finishing strong through contact. He can also step out and hit the 3. Millikan is well beyond his years in terms of basketball IQ. He always makes the smart play. He's not your typical sophomore, and will certainly be a name to watch in the Class of 2023. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>