Week Nine Top Performers – Class of 2022

<p>Week 9 of the season was all about league play. We got in the gym for a few and watched a couple more on tape. It wasn't a particularly big week for seniors but here’s a look at the top ones we saw from four games - La Salle over Hillsboro, Roosevelt over Lincoln, Central Catholic over Barlow, and Mountainside over Southridge.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1005081" first="Logan" last="Jackson"] (2022 Hillsboro)</strong></p> <p>Jackson is a matchup problem for most defenses as at 6-foot-7 he can clearly score inside but can also step outside to shoot the ball. The latter was immediately evident as right after the opening tip, he knocked down a three a few feet behind the three-point line. He also converted some baskets in the lane and ended up with 17 points and eight rebounds.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1315355" first="Leron" last="Richards"] (2022 Hillsboro)</strong></p> <p>Richards started off a little slow but started to get things doing in the second half. The 6-foot guard was very aggressive trying to get into the lane, which not only led to points for himself but also the opportunity to kick it out to open teammates for shots. The result - 15 points and seven assists to go along with five rebounds.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1229386" first="Nathan" last="Jones"] (2022 Barlow)</strong></p> <p>There’s not much in terms of frills with Jones’ game but you cannot question the production. The 6-foot-4 forward simply gets the job done and gets it done in an efficient manner. He rarely takes a bad shot and fights hard underneath for every bucket that he gets. He ended up with 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting while grabbing seven boards.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="857345" first="Donatello" last="Tupper"] (2022 Roosevelt)</strong></p> <p>While Roosevelt’s guards have gotten most of the attention this season, Tupper has continued to do his thing somewhat under the radar although with his athleticism he’s always going to make the highlight reel. That was the case against Lincoln as the 6-foot-4 swingman threw down a couple of impressive dunks but also stepped out and knocked down some open threes for a total of 15 points.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1229382" first="Dylan" last="Westlake"] (2022 Mountainside)</strong></p> <p>While it still remains a team effort, Westlake has stepped up as Mountainside’s leading scorer as of late and that was once again the case against Southridge. One difference in this game was he didn’t make any threes - he only attempted one - but when you’re unstoppable getting to the hoop and scoring, why mess with what works. He finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="857364" first="Dimitri" last="Cohen"] (2022 Mountainside)</strong></p> <p>Cohen has been relatively quiet in previous games but the shooting touch re-appeared on Friday night. The 5-foot-11 senior was sharp from three-point range, hitting 3-for-6 from beyond the arc, and also converted a couple of tough drives to the hoop. He did a great job on the boards, pulling down eight, to go along with his 15 points and three assists.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1315362" first="Kalil" last="Irby"] (2022 Southridge)</strong></p> <p>Pressed into starting duty with [player_tooltip player_id="1110914" first="Carter" last="Fortune"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1197476" first="Kaden" last="Groenig"] unable to play, the 5-foot-10 senior made the most out the opportunity. He was extremely aggressive with the basketball in his drives to the hoop and used his strength to convert some tough buckets through contact. On a night when most of the team was off with their shooting, Irby ended up leading the Skyhawks with 15 points.</p>