Regional playoffs top performers

<p>This has been a crazy week for myself, and I never actually wrote my thoughts about the three games that I caught last week. I apologize for the delay for this, but I’ve had a hectic week myself. With that being said, here are my top performers from Buchtel and Lima Shawnee’s victories over Toledo Central Catholic and Shelby respectively. I also saw the absolute classic that was Westerville Central knocking out Gahanna 45-44 on a half-court buzzer-beating runner from [player_tooltip player_id="918967" first="Tasos" last="Cook"].</p> <p>Mj Boyce, 6’2 SG Buchtel 2023: Boyce plays really well off [player_tooltip player_id="1041394" first="Chris" last="Livingston"] for Buchtel. Boyce has an advanced feel for the game for his age, playing within himself and making mature plays. Boyce finishes really well at the rim, getting open from the attention Livingston draws when he has the ball. I want to see more of Boyce this summer and next season, but he’s sparked my interest.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="919011" first="George" last="Mangas"], 6’4 SF Lima Shawnee 2021: Mangas stepped up when it counted and pushed Lima Shawnee to the next round. When the Indians were down 6 in the fourth quarter, Mangas took over with some transition layups and steals. Mangas was incredibly efficient from the floor, getting lots of easy looks. Mangas posts up smaller defenders with lots of success as well.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="555228" first="TJ" last="Pugh"], 6’5 SF Shelby 2021: Pugh played his heart out in his final career high school game. Pugh made a ton of tough shots, showing off his incredible touch on floaters. Pugh is a good run and jump athlete, making some highlight defensive plays. I think Pugh should be getting a lot more attention from Division II programs around the area.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="918967" first="Tasos" last="Cook"], 6’2 SG Westerville Central 2021: Cook continued his incredible senior season with a half-court heave to send Gahanna home. Cook had 23 points in a low scoring game, but his points seemed kinda quiet throughout the afternoon. Cook had one breakaway dunk in the first quarter, but the rest of his points were resilient layups and getting to the free-throw line constantly. Cook used his strength advantage over and over again around the basket and on the glass. I’ll be interested to see how he plays in the final 4.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="616810" first="Sean" last="Jones"], 5’11 PG Gahanna 2022: Jones hit what everybody thought was the game winning shot with 1.9 seconds left, before Cook finally won the game. Jones is lightning quick and when he gets low with his dribble, he’s so tough to stay in front of. I thought Jones once again did a good job of getting his post players touches and shots. Jones and Gahanna are expected to be back in this situation next season, we’ll see if they can get over the hump.</p>