2A Statistical Standouts at the Break

<p>The holiday break is here. Time to take stock in how teams and players have performed in the first month of games.</p> <p>As has been so well documented on Prep Hoops, the top ten teams in the state rankings have been led by some fine performances early in the season. But we don’t want to overlook some of the great individual work that was done in the early going.</p> <p>Here are some of the 2A statistical standouts at the break (in alphabetical order):</p> <p><strong>Blake Aurand</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2022, Republic County:</p> <p>A big man who hasn’t received nearly the notice he deserves, Aurand is a warrior on the boards, grabbing 12.8 rebounds per game for Republic. The senior has recorded double-digit rebounds in every game. He is also averaging a nice 14.6 points.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1268827" first="Eric" last="Dillinger"]</strong>, 6-foot-5 forward, 2022, Erie:</p> <p>Dillinger is recording some really solid stats in his senior season. His 11.3 boards per game is what really jumps out at you. But he’s also been good for 14.3 points, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.8 blocks. Undefeated Erie is ranked #8 in 2A, and has this long, athletic forward as its leader.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080178" first="Britton" last="Dutton"], 6-foot-1 guard, 2023, Ellinwood (pictured):</p> <p>With the graduation of Rock Creek’s Dawson Zenger, Dutton is now the state’s premier scorer. He already has two games with more than 40 points this season. He’s rocking a 32.4 scoring average, shooting 65% from the field. It’s not all on layups – he’s shooting 53% from long range for the #6 ranked Eagles.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="946256" first="Dameion" last="Hatten"], 6-foot-3 forward, 2022, Sedan:</p> <p>This guy is one of the most powerful, explosive and versatile athletes at the small school level. He also prepares himself for the season by running with elite summer club players. Thus it’s not a surprise that he’s accounting for 21 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Check out his 3.5 steals as more evidence of his elite physical gifts.</p> <p><strong>Will Schmidt</strong>, 6-foot-2 guard, 2023, Oakley:</p> <p>Schmidt is a long and versatile guard who is absolutely stuffing the stat sheet. He’s getting the ball to teammates to the tune of 4.9 assists per game. He also hits the boards for 6.3 rebounds, and rips off 3.6 steals a game. Add that to his 14.9 points per game and you get a really well-rounded rising star.</p> <p><strong>Wesley Young</strong>, 6-foot-5 forward, 2022, West Elk:</p> <p>The big forward is a double-double machine for the Patriots. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 10.2 rebounds so far this season. His 1.4 steals and 1.8 blocks show he’s doing it at both ends. Young is really good from the line too at 82%.</p>