State Tournament Recap: Class B First Round

<p><em>This week brings about the NSAA Boys State Basketball Tournaments in Lincoln. All six classes will crown champions this coming Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena, with the state tournaments stretched out to 5 days instead of the traditional 3-day long weekend format. Here are some prospects who stood out in the first round of play from the Class B Boys Basketball Tournament. </em></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="971732" first="Trey" last="Deveaux"] - 6’6 Senior (Norris)</strong></p> <p>One of the best athletes across all of the state tournaments this week, Deveaux helped lead the top seeded Titans to a first round victory over Blair tallying 13 pts, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. He was all over the court and made his presence known on both ends of the floor. A talented multi-sport athlete, Deveaux uses both his great athleticism and excellent length at his size to both finish strong around the rim and defend the paint well. As Norris’ leading scorer throughout the year, Deveaux was double-teamed on almost every tough by the Blair defense, but thanks to Norris’ multiple three-point shooters outside there was still plenty of space for Devaux to go to work. Speaking of Norris’ outside threats. </p> <p><strong>Brayson Mueller - 6’5 Senior (Norris) </strong></p> <p>Another Norris senior forward, Mueller was [player_tooltip player_id="971732" first="Trey" last="Deveaux"]’s first option when passing out of a double team. He knocked down some big 3’s early on to get the Titans rolling, and also displayed an ability to put it on the deck and go to the basket. When drawing fouls, Mueller finished a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe. Mueller also brought in 7 rebounds on the contest as well. I was thoroughly impressed with Mueller’s game as this was the first time I had seen the top-seeded Norris Titans in person this season and I think the 6’5 senior will definitely be a key to their success the rest of the week. </p> <p><strong>Dane Petersen - 6’4 Junior (Elkhorn)</strong></p> <p>Two of the most athletic plays I saw throughout the first-round play in Class B came from Elkhorn junior Dane Petersen as they finished off their first-round victory over Platteview. After rising up inside on a nice post feed to slam one home, he almost one-upped himself not even two minutes later catching a baseball pass and finishing another dunk with even more authority. Petersen found himself open on some nice cuts to the basket, as well as displaying some nice post moves inside as well. Petersen finished the game with 18 points on an efficient 9-11 from the field, to go along with 6 rebounds on the game as well. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1018738" first="Connor" last="Millikan"] - 6’0 Sophomore (Platteview)</strong></p> <p>Although his Platteview Trojans came up short in the opening round of state, Millikan’s sophomore campaign is one of the more impressive seasons I have seen from someone his age. Millikan surpassed the 1,000 career point tally towards the end of the regular season. He finished the season as one of the top scorers in the state, averaging just under 25 points a game. He finished this game with 25 points and 7 rebounds on the day for the Trojans. Millikan is one of the quicker guards I’ve seen play, and his ability to slash to the basket and finish through contact is pretty darn good. His outside shot continues to improve and he’s a very good free-throw shooter. Millikan is certainly one of the top names to watch in the 2022 class, and this definitely will not be the last time we see him play in Lincoln. </p> <p><strong>Bennett Crandall - 6’3 Senior (Beatrice)</strong></p> <p>Crandall picked apart the Mount Michael zone defense as well as their full-court pressure when the Orangeman’s lead began to increase. The 6’3 senior guard led Beatrice in their first-round upset win tallying  19 points on an efficient 7-9 shooting as well as going 5-7 from the free-throw line. Crandall made smart plays and smart cuts throughout the contest, as well as making good passes to open teammates such as fellow senior guard Devin Smith who had a big day from 3 point range. Crandall has good length for his size and is a skilled finisher around the rim. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958186" first="Andrew" last="Heffelfinger"] - 6’2 Senior (Waverly)</strong></p> <p>Heffelfinger started the day with a bang in the Class B tournament hitting a game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds left to lift the Vikings to an opening-round upset over #2 seed Omaha Skutt. Heffelfinger is one of the better shooters in the Class B tournament, and finished the opening round contest with 14 points and 7 rebounds on the day. He also defends really well, and the way he defended the Skutt backcourt played a key part in the Vikings’ upset victory. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p>