Centralia Holiday Tournament: Wednesday Afternoon Notebook

<p>Prep Hoops took in three afternoon games from the Centralia Holiday Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.  It was a fun three games with D1 prospects in each contest.  Here we recap the day in <strong>Centralia Holiday Tournament: Wednesday Afternoon Notebook</strong>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Benson Goes 20/20 in Massive Performance</strong></p> <p>In the first game of the afternoon we saw Mt. Vernon and Confluence (MO) in the first quarterfinal.  It was a tight game throughout and went to double OT before Mt. Vernon could secure the win 68-63.  It was all about their star Missouri State commit [player_tooltip player_id="863631" first="NJ" last="Benson"].  He was PHENOMENAL!  The center opened up with a three from the wing and then put it on the deck for a slash.  His face up game has definitely shown massive improvement over the last year.  Handles it well and shoots a good ball although he can be a bit loose with both at times.  One thing I loved though was when he did miss a jumper Benson almost always followed it up running in for a rebound.  His second jump around the hoop was absurd!  He snatched rebounds in traffic on a regular basis for put backs and threw down an array of massive dunks.  So much quickness and athletic pop in the paint.  Passed it well and was a force defensively swatting shots in the paint and out to the three point line.  Went for 29 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 dimes.  He looked like a high-major top 5 type player in this game.  Missouri State has a future star to build around!</p> <p>Confluence was led by Trasean White.  The smaller point guard was dynamic with the rock in his hands regularly knocking down deep threes and floaters.  He made a runner three from the top of the key which I'm pretty sure I've never seen before.  Went for 30 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Romeoville Hangs Around but Vashon Proves Too Much Late</strong></p> <p>Early on Romeoville jumped out in the second quarterfinal behind the play of their standout junior [player_tooltip player_id="1048315" first="Troy" last="Cicero"] as he ripped off a big quarter.  Vashon settled in and while Romeoville would keep contact most of the game they pulled away late to win by a final of 63-49.  [player_tooltip player_id="1362685" first="Kennard" last="Davis"] continues to impress.  The Vashon combo forward got a bucket or a defensive stop time after time when Romeoville got close.  He had two spectacular LeBron come from behind swats that had the crowd buzzing.  Physical driver that can put it on the deck and finish well through contact.  Solid mid-range shooter and a quality defender.  Went for 16 points.  Liked what we saw out of 2023 wing [player_tooltip player_id="981142" first="Jayden" last="Nicholson"].  Angular lefty had the mid-range game flowing as he hit an array of them in the win for 17 points.  In a homecoming of sorts Vashon 2025 point guard Trey Williams looked very comfortable in his hometown of Centralia as the freshman nailed four triples along a key and-1 late for 16 points.</p> <p>Romeoville 2023 combo guard [player_tooltip player_id="1048315" first="Troy" last="Cicero"] was outstanding in this one.  He won off the dribble getting in the lane with slick handles where he regularly pulled up for stop and pop jumpers.  Played with good pace and didn't force anything in a 21 point outing.  Meyoh Swanson is a 2024 combo guard that has caught our attention early in the season.  Good ball handler that displayed he could score off the bounce and from 15-18 feet with his jumper.  Went for 15 points.  Look for him to make a debut in the mid-season rankings.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Carmel's Senior Guard Duo Leads Them to Win</strong></p> <p>Last game we caught was Carmel against Cahokia.  Early on it looked like Cahokia was going to pull off the upset, but Carmel's stars stepped up in the second half.  Niagara commit [player_tooltip player_id="999562" first="Bryce" last="Moore"] is a combo guard with good strength, length, and fluid athleticism.  He opened the game with a deep three and euro step.  The rest of the first half he spent at the charity stripe for several easy points.  With the game tied at half Moore turned it up a notch in the second half.  His burst in transition and body control at the rim were impressive.  Shoots a good ball as he nailed multiple triples off the catch in their 70-62 victory.  Rebounds well for a guard.  He had 26 points.  His running mate [player_tooltip player_id="1105719" first="Asher" last="Jackson"] is a big bodied lefty sharp shooter who drained four triples in their win.  Plus shooter off the catch that has some passing flair as he scored 22 points.</p> <p>For Cahokia most of their offense game in transition. A lot of smaller guards that pushed the pace and changed from defense to offense in a hurry.  Isaiah Sanders led the way with 15 points while Omarion Gooden had 13 points.</p>