1A & 2A State Semi Finals Notebook

Scott Burgess March 10, 2022 @ 06:30 PM

The state tournament kicked off back in Champaign for the first time since I was in grade school with the 1A and 2A semis on Thursday. We give you all the happenings in our 1A & 2A State Semi Finals Notebook!   1A Semis Schutt Shines in Champaign and Long Has Big Game as Yorkville Christian Rolls We didn’t think Yorkville would have much problems in this state final and that was true in the semis against Steeleville as they won 70-27. It all begins with Duke signee and top ranked senior [player_tooltip player_id="863582" first="Jaden" last="Schutt"]. He opened up banging in three triples and a dunk in the first quarter. Such a versatile scorer that can get points from all three levels. His complete game was shown on the offensive end with his ability to dish and was excellent on the boards. Also liked what he brought defensively walling up inside. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id="989266" first="Brayden" last="Long"] is a gritty junior wing that brought toughness inside for several put backs and being a presence inside along with stretching the floor for 23 points. [player_tooltip player_id="1157349" first="Jehvion" last="Starwood"] is the long term prospect to watch on this squad as the sophomore is a rangy left handed wing that can shoot it and is an active defender. Finished with 8 points. I think overall what stood out was their team defensive effort which to be frank wasn’t there throughout the season. Dominant performance to open up the event! It was tough sledding for Steeleville as they went up against a much more talented team. A couple of players for Steeleville did catch our attention. Senior guard Zach Mevert is a crafty guard that does his damage in the paint on nifty finishes netting 10 points. One to watch long term is Carter Wasson. The 6’0” junior guard is a solid athlete with the ability to knock in a shot. He had 8 points.   Mullet Power and Big Man Lead Liberty to W over Scales Mound Liberty came in as the underdog, but they opened out 10-0 and never looked back. They went on to win the second 1A semi by a final of 75-41. Breiton Klingele doesn’t look like a hooper with his mullet and mustache, but kid has game! He is a tough as nails 6’4” shooting guard that hits mid-range jumpers, gets on the glass, and was a pest on the defensive end as he recorded 17 points. Inside Devin Klauser made a huge impact on this game. The 6’6” post rebounded well in his area on both ends including several put backs, ran the floor, and finished through contact for 22 points. Also was a tough post defender. Overall tough defensive team that will have their hands full in the championship against Yorkville Christian. Scales Mound’s top prospect was Upper Iowa football commit Ben Werner. Built like a mobile offensive lineman he was effective scoring in the paint through contact on dump off passes and hook shots. Can put it on the deck a little as well. Finished with 15 points.   2A Semis Monticello Plays Pace in W Against Rockridge The first half was not pretty. It was low scoring with long and boring possessions. The game started to pick up in the second half with Monticello winning 54-38. Undersized post Joey Sprinkle is a senior that understands how to use his body around the rim finishing dump offs and runs the floor. He had 17 points. In the backcourt Ben Cresap made some excellent passes and hit a few shots en route to 12 points. His fellow backcourt mate Trevor Fox is a plus shooter who had 12 points. Freshman 6’3” center Landon Bull isn’t the most projectable prospect, but he is a “bull” on the interior. Tough and strong bodied post that plays with physicality down low and is light on his feet scoring 18 points. Augustana commit Nate Henry really struggled in the first half. The second half he picked it up finishing with 13 points displaying a solid mid-range game.   Nashville Wins in Double OT in Game Which Sets Record for Lowest Score Game at State This was……not fun to watch. Just being honest. Nashville wins ugly though and that is exactly what they did as they won in double OT over DePaul Prep 31-24. Nashville’s defense held DePaul Prep to THREE points over a 17 minute stretch in this game. The Hornets never led in regulation. In the end though they got the key plays they needed from their star [player_tooltip player_id="1106938" first="Saxton" last="Hoepker"]. The 6’6” four man scored 13 points in the win. Skilled and athletic post that can put it on the deck, gets on the offensive glass, and has a clean mid-range shot. [player_tooltip player_id="1049082" first="Kolten" last="Gajewski"] came up with some key buckets for 5 points along with grabbing 8 rebounds. DePaul Prep couldn’t make shots. Their big man [player_tooltip player_id="863618" first="Dylan" last="Arnett"] had a nice stretch at the start of the second half where the UW-Milwaukee commit started to get his hook shot game going and he swatted a few shots. Had 8 points in the loss. [player_tooltip player_id="1276132" first="Trevon" last="Thomas"] and Alex Guiterrez each had 6 points hitting several pull ups.