North Houston's Top Performers of the Last Week - Wings

Had the pleasure of checking out three different games in the North Houston area during the week of January 16. On Wednesday, January 19, the 14-10 Benjamin Davis Falcons came to the loud and energetic home court of the 19-1 Westfield Mustangs but were no match for the dominant forces of Westfield, ending in a 66-44 blowout for the home team. On Friday, January 21, the 15-10 Woodlands Highlanders visited the 9-16 Conroe Tigers, and it was the Highlanders that came away with a close 60-55 victory on their opponent's home court. Lastly, on Saturday, January 22, the 14-11 Nimitz Cougars played host to the 13-12 Dekaney Wildcats in a very close game, with the Cougars taking it, 48-45. There were several impressive contributors on each team in these three games. Below we review the top performing wings. Also check out: <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/01/north-houstons-top-performers-of-the-last-week-ball-handlers/">Top Performers: Ball Handlers</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/01/north-houstons-top-performers-of-the-last-week-wings/">Top Performers: Wings</a> | <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/01/north-houstons-top-performers-of-the-last-week-bigs/">Top Performers: Bigs</a> #1 - Mario Johnson - 6'3" - SF - Senior - Westfield vs. Ben Davis <img class="size-medium wp-image-1196068 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/05/Mario-Johnson-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /> Johnson was arguably the most active player on the court in the Westfield vs. Ben Davis game. He was relentless on the offensive boards, boxing out and attacking off every shot, and fighting for every rebound, never backing down and giving his team several second opportunities. He was just as aggressive and energetic when scoring down low, using his strong frame to create space and fighting through contact to come away with several strong finishes. He also completed a beautiful alley oop play from his teammate, [player_tooltip player_id="1220767" first="Zion" last="Pipkin"]. He brought the same energy and relentlessness he showed on offense to the defensive end, as well. He had active hands throughout the game, getting his hands in passing lanes and knocking the ball loose from opposing ball handlers, getting multiple steals and turning them into fast breaks going the other way. He also showed intelligent verticality, defending drives and opposing post players without fouling extremely well. #5 - Blake Washington - 6'2" - SG - Senior - Westfield vs. Ben Davis Washington was a midrange assassin in this game for Westfield. It seemed like every time down the court he found a way to get open and then consistently drained it from midrange, creating for himself or hitting it off the pass. He managed to hit at least one 3-pointer in the 2nd quarter, but most of his damage came from midrange and there was nothing Ben Davis could do about it. He also did a little of everything on the offensive end, making a couple nice passes setting up teammates, crashing the offensive boards, and finishing at the rim on a few strong drives. He was a menace on the defensive end, as well, staying in front of his man, disturbing passing lanes, and coming away with several steals late to put the game away for good. #11 - Jutaun Clopher - 6'3" - SF/PF - Junior - Westfield vs. Ben Davis Clopher showed phenomenal grit and determination for Westfield in their game against Ben Davis. He hit a midrange shot in the 3rd quarter but almost all of his game was played down low and in a dominant fashion at that. He operated from the post and essentially did whatever he wanted down there, getting close to the basket with his strong post control and impressive footwork, and finishing at the rim with his soft touch but aggressive demeanor. His performance can be perfectly summarized when he pulled off a beautiful up-and-under in the post that had the entire crowd cheering. He chipped in on the offensive boards, as well, and sacrificed his body on the defensive end, taking a hard charge in the paint in the 2nd quarter. #0 - Jeffery Moore - 6'4" - SF/PF - Senior - Ben Davis vs. Westfield Moore was the 3-and-D threat for Ben Davis and brought a lot of energy to the team whenever they needed it. He hit several 3-pointers throughout the game, at least three that I counted, but it seemed like make or miss, every time he shot the crowd went wild, and the team got a boost of energy. He also showed great hustle on several plays, where on one play in the 2nd quarter, when Ben Davis was still in the game, he dove out of bounds to save a loose ball and keep the play alive. He showed that same determination and sacrifice on the defensive end, playing hard defense throughout and taking at least one charge in the 2nd quarter. #5 - Justin Sheldon - 6'1" - SG/PG - Senior - Woodlands vs. Conroe Sheldon put on a solid defensive showing on Friday night for the Highlanders and chipped in on the offensive end in a variety of ways. He had the most active hands on the team, getting into passing lanes, disturbing opposing ball handlers, coming away with several steals throughout the game, and simply being a pest on that end of the court. On offense, he did a little of everything. He hit a couple of 3-pointers and completed a beautiful give-and-go that was executed to perfection all in the 2nd quarter to give his team a scoring boost and keep them in what was an extremely tight game at that point. While he was quiet on the scoring front for the rest of the game, he was busy creating for others, delivering beautiful passes off his dribble drives and setting his teammates up for easy looks at the basket. #22 - [player_tooltip player_id="1295813" first="Aden" last="Dominguez"] - 6'2" - SG - Junior - Woodlands vs. Conroe Dominguez contributed to the Highlanders win against Conroe in a similar fashion to his teammate, Justin Sheldon, with a strong showing on defense and a little of everything on offense. He made some momentum changing plays on the defensive end, sacrificing his body and taking a charge in the 2nd and coming away with a steal that went the other way for a fast break. On offense, he made his impact on his drives to the paint and his constant pressure on the center lane of the defense, opening up the perimeter for guys like [player_tooltip player_id="1332668" first="Shey" last="Eberwein"] to operate. He did hit a very important and much needed midrange shot in the 4th quarter, but his standout plays came earlier in the game when he hit a smooth euro step and then followed it up with a beautiful scoop layup through traffic. #15 - Timothy Davis - 6'2" - SG/SF - Senior - Dekaney vs. Nimitz Davis was an absolute defensive monster in this game for Dekaney. It seemed as though if anyone had the ball near him or even in his vicinity, he would make a play on the ball and force the turnover. His offensive game was fairly limited with just a midrange shot in the 2nd quarter, but it didn't matter because of how much of a positive impact he made on the defensive side of the ball. He had a huge block in the 1st quarter and numerous steals in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. He would attack passing lanes and intercept the ball midair. He snatched the ball straight from opponents' hands when they were dribbling or when they were simply in their triple threat stance. It was an impressive and an inspiring showing on the defensive end and he absolutely set the tone for his team to be aggressive throughout the game. #23 - Markie Grant - 6'0" - SG - Sophomore - Dekaney vs. Nimitz Grant played a strong defensive game, like many of his teammates, and had a solid showing in the paint on offense even with his shorter stature. He attacked the basket with strength and aggression, not backing down to anyone in his way, and scored several times on his drives through traffic and getting down low under the basket. On defense, it was his active hands and aggressive mindset that earned him several impact plays. He had at least 3 steals throughout the game and knocked away several other passes that crossed his path, making it difficult for Nimitz to move the ball around the perimeter.