Tuesday’s Best: February 1st

<p>With a cold and snowy night on the horizon in the state of Kansas, games were still managed to get played all over and the teams did not disappoint with some great games taking place as well as monster performances. Let’s take a look around the hoops landscape from Tuesday night.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Pair of Rockets Take Off</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891925" first="Adriel" last="Smith"], 5’11 PG, Rose Hill, 2022: The quick change of pace, explosive, and down hill guard had it going in a win over El Dorado dropping 26 points. Controls the pace really well, thrives in transition and downhill, puts a ton of pressure on the defense. Played a tremendous game last night.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080181" first="Kellan" last="Simoneau"], 6’1 PG, Rose Hill, 2023: Smith’s back court running mate, Simoneau is an elite level shooter of the basketball and he has put that on display in his last 4 games including last night. Great off the catch, a smooth release, and deep range. Had 24 last night to help pace Rose Hill in their win over El Dorado.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Lyndon Gets Strong Performance in Win</strong></p> <p>Jackson Biggs, 6’5 F, Lyndon, 2023: The big and physical wing/forward was a force in the painted area for Lyndon last night in their big win against Wabaunsee. Biggs has great hands, footwork, and scoring ability with either hand. Very strong in the post, working in the hi low game, and finishing efficiently helped him score 20 in the road win. Runs the floor really well and a great athlete.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Collegiate Duo Helps Win Nail Biter</strong></p> <p>Jack Duarte, G/W, Wichita Collegiate, 2022: A knockdown scorer, mover without the basketball, and solid guard. He can get going in a hurry from the floor and he scored 24 points last night to help pull off a three point win against Circle.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1080184" first="Wesley" last="Fair"], 6’2 CG, Wichita Collegiate, 2023: Fills it up in every area of basketball, and tonight was in the scoring column scoring 26 to pair with Duarte’s 24 and made some really big plays late in the win over Circle. Fair’s athletic ability and attacking mentality with the ball in his hands make him really tough to guard.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Other Big Performances</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1076410" first="Terrence" last="Tedder Jr"], 6’ PG, Junction City, 2022: Fresh off his Prep Year offer from Next Level Prep, Tedder had one of his best games of the season scoring 21 and being a constant threat on the offensive end in a big road win at Seaman. Tedder’s ball handling against pressure, array of finishes at the rim, and one man press break’s kept pressure on the defense all night.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Zach Surface, 5’11 G, Sterling High, 2022: The All League guard had a really solid outing scoring 21 points for the Black Bears. Surface is a good guard who can score it from multiple levels and multiple ways. Plays with a ton of energy on the floor and a really solid defender.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="891904" first="Damare" last="Smith"], 5’11 PG, Shawnee Mission Northwest, 2022: Becoming your school’s all time leading scorer is always a big deal and when Smith drilled one of his longballs on the night he was able to accomplish that for the high school powerhouse SMNW. The electric guard is much more than a top notch scorer of the basketball, he is also a great floor general and terrific passer of the rock.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1195606" first="Brady" last="Deges"], 5’8 PG, South Gray, 2022: One of the top shooters in the state across grade levels scored his 1,000th career point last night. Plenty of those have come from behind the arc, but he is also a solid straight line drive, can finish with either hand on the attack, and is a good leader for his basketball team.</p>