Standouts: Highmore-Harrold vs. Wessington Springs

Wessington Springs, SD - We had a fun game last night in Class B basketball. The first quarter was a low-scoring affair with 11 total points put up. In the second quarter, the Pirates fought back early and tied the score 7-7. After that early tie, Wessington Springs took the lead and they never looked back. It was a tight contest the entire way. The Spartans biggest lead got up to 8 points and the smallest was 3. [player_tooltip player_id="968169" first="Mason" last="Schelske"] was the star and Player of The Game. He dominated last night. After the win, Wessington Springs moves to 4-1 on the season. With the loss, Highmore-Harrold moved to 1-2 on the year. Read below for information on the standout players. Good luck to the Pirates and Spartans on the rest of the season! Scores 1st - Highmore-Harrold 4 Wessington Springs 7 2nd - Highmore-Harrold 16 Wessington Springs 23 3rd - Highmore-Harrold 26 Wessington Springs 31 4th - Highmore-Harrold 43 Wessington Springs 53 <h4>Top Pirates</h4> Mason Knox (2023) |6-0 F| When the Pirates started picking up in the press, Mason picked up a quick steal and bucket. He also blocked shots on the defensive end. Knox grabbed multiple O-boards because of his hustle. On offense, Mason had a quick cut through the lane for a basket. He also made a difficult shot in the 4th quarter amongst the trees in the paint. Treyton Knox (2023) |6-4 F| He showed good footwork and patience in the post. His defensive awareness put him in position for a tip steal. Knox also had a sweet hesitation move that got him past the defense for a basket. I was impressed with his shovel pass from the block to a cutting teammate. Peyton McDonnell (2022) |5-10 G| He scored the first basket of the game for the pirates. Peyton scored from the block. He had a smooth baseline jumper, but he was fouled on the shot. Peyton got to the line and hit both shots. His second shot bounced around and he got a shooters-touch role. Peyton also showed a clever shot-fake, his defender jumper, and McDonnell quickly finished. He also knocked down a short jumper in the 4th quarter. Carson Stephenson (2024) |5-11 G| He drilled a 3-pointer when the Pirates needed it. He also had a 2-point bucket right before halftime. Cowan had a sneaky offensive rebound, and he had a quick lefty finish. Carter LaMont (2022) |6-2 G| He hit a dagger 3-ball from the left corner in a catch-and-shoot situation. I liked his hard skip passes. LaMont is a quick cutter, he showed this on a BLOB score where he hit a 1-handed runner. He also grabbed multiple O-boards. Trake Cowan (2024) |6-4 F| He is a big, strong, and burly player. Cowan muscled his way in for an O-board and an off-balance fade-away bucket. <h4>Top Spartans</h4> [player_tooltip player_id="968169" first="Mason" last="Schelske"] (2022) |6-6 PF| He was a beast last night with 28 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, and 12-18 on ft’s. Talk about a nice night! In the two games before this, Mason had 35 and 30 points. This lefty is one of the best post passers I have watched this year. Mason does not throw lollipops, he fires his passes. He owned the boards on both ends of the floor. Schelske attacks the ball and he scored many points on O-board putbacks. On defense, Mason is a shot blocker and rim protector. He is a hustler and a hard worker. He scored many points when posting up on the block with baseline spin moves and turnaround jumpers. I like his quickness and physicality. Schelske can shoot the 15-footer with a soft stroke. This lefty is a stud! I loved the way he sealed and battled for position around the basket. He had many AND1 finishes and he was at the line often. He sprints the floor hard, everyone loves a big man that is the first one down the floor! If you have not watched Schelske yet this season, get him on your watchlist. He got game! [player_tooltip player_id="1356552" first="Blake" last="Larson"] (2024) |5-10 G| Larson sacrificed his body for the team and took a charge in the second half. He is a speedy player and an athletic slasher. I liked the aggressiveness of this sophomore. He was opportunistic on the O-boards and Blake followed his own shot, which led to extra opportunities for the Spartans. His slashing got him to the FT-line and Larson looks to be a confident shooter from the charity stripe. Blake’s quick hands stripped the ball from a player going up for a shot. Larson helped ice the game from the FT-line down the stretch. Anthony Neely (2022) |6-0 G/F| I was impressed with his passing. Anthony showed a nice touch-pass to the big man down low. He grabbed multiple O-boards and one of them came on a missed free throw from a teammate. Neely had a nice aggressive take and finish through the lane. Anthony had a very nice cut and finish towards the beginning of the big 4th quarter for the Spartans. Bryce Kopfmann (2022) |6-1 G/F| He had a great verticle cut down the paint when Schelske had the ball in the short corner. Kopfmann broke open and the big man found him for an easy bucket and the first score of the game. I like his rebounding ability. He showed off his impressive vertical on a few rebounds where he skyed above everyone to get the ball. When Bryce secured a rebound he looked to push the tempo immediately. Kopfmann grabbed numerous offensive rebounds throughout the game. He showed off his speed with a run-out layup in the open court. Cade Mohling (2022) |5-8 G| He is a quick, ball-strong, PG for the Spartans. His shot was a bit off last night but you can tell that Cade is a shooter. He has fine mechanics with quick feet and a smooth release. Mohling did hit two triples in the game and both came from deep. His first came from college range and his second was way out there by the volleyball line. I like his confidence. On defense, Mohling has quick hands that deflect passes. He had a very nice drive when he attacked across the lane and he finished with a lefty finger roll.