Top Performers from Carver (LA) vs Duncanville (TX)

Saturday night in Texarkana saw a heavyweight matchup between two of the top teams in the south. Duncanville and Carver Collegiate met at Texas High to close out the Red River Hoopfest. From this Louisiana versus Texas contest, we will look at the top performers from each team. [player_tooltip player_id="787330" first="Aric" last="Demings"] - Duncanville (’23) Going into the game, we expected some of the more prominent Duncanville players to have good games. There is always the one unexpected player who has a great night, however. That player was [player_tooltip player_id="787330" first="Aric" last="Demings"]. Demings went 5-5 from deep and came up with six steals on route to a 20 point night. When he banked in a three in the second half, I think we all realized last night was his night. [player_tooltip player_id="937608" first="Dorian" last="Finister"] - Carver (’22) Finister may have ended up with the most turnovers in the game. However, they were not from him giving minimal effort. Dorian had eleven points and three steals during the contest making mid-range jumpers and finishing in transition. What was most impressive was his ability to handle the ball and get Carver into sets against the Duncanville pressure. He also took opportunities to take Black, Holland, and others off the dribble. Finister played as if he was ready for the moment and was last night at Texas High. [player_tooltip player_id="889576" first="Anthony" last="Black"] - Duncanville (’22) Going into the game, I had heard a lot about Black and even caught some film. During his 31 point performance last night, all I could say was that the tape does not do him justice. He is an elite level defender who guarded all the perimeter positions and caused turnovers by all Carver ballhandlers. His awareness of when to pass and when to shoot is uncanny and his finishing ability in transition is exciting to watch. Few offensive players put pressure on a defense as he does. [player_tooltip player_id="937609" first="Solomon" last="Washington"] - Carver (’22) Washington had 14 points and eight rebounds during the contest with Duncanville on last night. The Texas A&M commit suffered during the game from early foul trouble but showed that he could be a dominant figure during periods of the game. His rebounding was superb in traffic and his rise on the first and second jump was better than everyone on the floor. Washington displayed the willingness and ability to stretch the floor which bodes well for his confidence going forward. Carver might have been outmatched but Washington was one of the better players on the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="892162" first="Ron" last="Holland"] - Duncanville (’23) Holland had his share of foul trouble during the portions of the game on last night. However, he is the top rated power forward in Texas class of 2023 because he knows how to crash the offensive boards and stretch the floor. Holland had one sequence where he got his shot blocked, missed the layup after gathering the block, and then finishing with a reverse layup. His 15 points and seven rebound performance also showed one of the best shooting strokes in prep basketball. Holland will be scary to see going into his senior season. [player_tooltip player_id="981603" first="Willie" last="Anderson"] - Carver (’22) After some early foul and turnover troubles, Anderson showed he belonged on the floor when he got extended minutes. Anderson was able to handle the ball against the length and pressure as he got more comfortable. He even had a nifty move where he split three Panther defenders with a reverse between the leg dribble for a layup. Most of his ten point effort came in the fourth quarter. However, it diplayed that Anderson can compete against top tier talent. Being the first year for this event, The Red River Hoopfest (sponsored by Hoopfest Basketball) was a great event with prep matchups that we do not get to see in this portion of the south. Texas High was a great location and a great host for the event. I look forward to seeing other events with matchups such as these in the future.

Saturday night in Texarkana saw a heavyweight matchup between two of the top teams in the south. Duncanville and Carver Collegiate met at Texas High to close out the Red River Hoopfest. From this Louisiana versus Texas contest, we will look at the top performers from each team.

Aric Demings Aric Demings 6'0" | PG Duncanville | 2023 State TX - Duncanville (’23)

Going into the game, we expected some of the more prominent Duncanville players to have good games. There is always the one unexpected player who has a great night, however. That player was Aric Demings Aric Demings 6'0" | PG Duncanville | 2023 State TX . Demings went 5-5 from deep and came up with six steals on route to a 20 point night. When he banked in a three in the second half, I think we all realized last night was his night.

Dorian Finister Dorian Finister 6'5" | CG Carver | 2022 State #173 Nation LA - Carver (’22)

Finister may have ended up with the most turnovers in the game. However, they were not from him giving minimal effort. Dorian had eleven points and three steals during the contest making mid-range jumpers and finishing in transition. What was most impressive was his ability to handle the ball and get Carver into sets against the Duncanville pressure. He also took opportunities to take Black, Holland, and others off the dribble. Finister played as if he was ready for the moment and was last night at Texas High.

Anthony Black Anthony Black 6'7" | PG Duncanville | 2022 State #10 Nation TX - Duncanville (’22)

Going into the game, I had heard a lot about Black and even caught some film. During his 31 point performance last night, all I could say was that the tape does not do him justice. He is an elite level defender who guarded all the perimeter positions and caused turnovers by all Carver ballhandlers. His awareness of when to pass and when to shoot is uncanny and his finishing ability in transition is exciting to watch. Few offensive players put pressure on a defense as he does.

Solomon Washington Solomon Washington 6'7" | SF Carver | 2022 State #127 Nation LA - Carver (’22)

Washington had 14 points and eight rebounds during the contest with Duncanville on last night. The Texas A&M commit suffered during the game from early foul trouble but showed that he could be a dominant figure during periods of the game. His rebounding was superb in traffic and his rise on the first and second jump was better than everyone on the floor. Washington displayed the willingness and ability to stretch the floor which bodes well for his confidence going forward. Carver might have been outmatched but Washington was one of the better players on the floor.

Ron Holland Ron Holland 6'9" | PF Duncanville | 2023 State #7 Nation TX - Duncanville (’23)

Holland had his share of foul trouble during the portions of the game on last night. However, he is the top rated power forward in Texas class of 2023 because he knows how to crash the offensive boards and stretch the floor. Holland had one sequence where he got his shot blocked, missed the layup after gathering the block, and then finishing with a reverse layup. His 15 points and seven rebound performance also showed one of the best shooting strokes in prep basketball. Holland will be scary to see going into his senior season.

Willie Anderson Willie Anderson 6'2" | CG G.W. Carver | 2022 State LA - Carver (’22)

After some early foul and turnover troubles, Anderson showed he belonged on the floor when he got extended minutes. Anderson was able to handle the ball against the length and pressure as he got more comfortable. He even had a nifty move where he split three Panther defenders with a reverse between the leg dribble for a layup. Most of his ten point effort came in the fourth quarter. However, it diplayed that Anderson can compete against top tier talent.

Being the first year for this event, The Red River Hoopfest (sponsored by Hoopfest Basketball) was a great event with prep matchups that we do not get to see in this portion of the south. Texas High was a great location and a great host for the event. I look forward to seeing other events with matchups such as these in the future.