3 Takeaways: Bradley Bourbonnais vs Lincoln Way Central

<p>Tuesday night PHI checked out the state’s top junior center on Bradley Bourbonnais as they hosted Lincoln Way Central.  The home teams scored a victory 79-69 to move to 20-7 on the season.  What caught our eye?  We tell you in <strong>3 Takeaways: Bradley Bourbonnais vs Lincoln Way Central</strong>!</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Double Double for Iowa Commit and Passing Was Most Impressive Skill</strong></p> <p>The reason we picked this game on Tuesday was to get a second half of season look at the top center in the 2023 class [player_tooltip player_id="989265" first="Owen" last="Freeman"].  The 6’10” 220 pound post has a good frame and solid athleticism.  Makes quick and decisive moves with the ball on the interior.  Had a couple of nice takes from the mid-post along with a sweet drop step finish.  My favorite play of the night from the future Iowa Hawkeye was when he swatted a shot, sprinted the length of the floor, and dunked it on the other end.  Rebounded well in traffic throughout the night.  His passing really popped for us.  Especially early on as he was picking apart the LWC defense over and over again.  Feel for finding the open man with his back to the basket including hitting cross court passers in the pocket.  One area he struggled was at the free throw line.  Final stat line read 15 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Bradley Bourbonnais Improvement</strong></p> <p>If you would have told me the team I saw in June at the Ridgewood team camp would have been 20-7 I would have thought you were crazy.  Bradley Bourbonnais didn’t look like much outside of Freeman in those four games.  That has certainly changed a ton.  Really liked the players around the star post and their development.  Class of 2024 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1285520" first="Anthony" last="Kemp"] is a crafty and skilled young two guard that can score off the bounce.  He had 12 points.  In the second half another sophomore Ethan Kohl caught fire draining an array of threes to ignite their offense as he finished with 15 points.  Class of 2025 wing Braden Freeman presents size, skill, and projectability.  Glue guys like post Mark Robinson made key plays over and over for 12 points while Isaiah Davis had his moments as well netting 10 points.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Small College Trio Lead Way for Lincoln Way Central</strong></p> <p>Lincoln Way Central got a big night out of [player_tooltip player_id="1049067" first="Jack" last="Vegter"].  The Denison commit has good size at the two guard spot and can flat out shoot the rock.  He hit an array of threes and crisp pull up twos throughout the game going for 24 points.  [player_tooltip player_id="1210428" first="Frank" last="Decarlo"] is a heady and tough as nails lead guard that excels getting others involved and scoring buckets in the lane with his gritty paint conversions along with making trips to the line.  He had 14 points.  Reece Donald Hallberg put his name on our radar as another small college senior to track.  Four threes in this one for 16 points.</p>