AHSAA Final 4: Class 4A Standouts

The Class 4A Final Four saw two competitive semifinal games and a highly contested finals match-up. Jacksonville HS battled hard to capture the blue map, so we would like to congratulate Jacksonville HS on being the Class 4A State Champions.   Some exciting players displayed their talents during the Final Four, the biggest stage of the year; here are a few…   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/20201125_112210.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1090061 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/11/20201125_112210-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="836599" first="Cade" last="Phillips"] (6’9/Forward/2023)   School: Jacksonville HS Instagram: cadephillips12 Twitter: N/A   Our #1-ranked player in the state did not disappoint. Neither team that Jacksonville matched up with had an answer for Cade. He impacted the game in many different ways, and many would never show up on the stat sheet. His presence along forced doubles and often time triple teams. As long as his teammates kept the floor spaced, Cade found open teammates for open shots and easy buckets at the rim. <blockquote> Because of his size, he demands a lot of attention. </blockquote> I have seen Cade several times this year, and I keep seeing his development into a complete player. Offensively he continues to develop into a multi-dimensional scorer. He has to continue getting his body ready for the next level, as he has one more year in high school. He will definitely be taking his talents to the next level; the question will be where. His stat lines from the Final Four is as follows:   Semifinals: 10pts (2-6; 33% from the field); 6-rebounds; 5-blocks   Finals: 19pts (7-15; 47% from the field); 9-rebounds   [player_tooltip player_id="966162" first="Sheldon" last="Williams"] (6’8/Forward/2022)   School: Escambia County HS Instagram: sheldonwilliams04 Twitter: @AyyPeanut   Sheldon is one of the most talented athletes I have seen all year. He has a long 6’8 frame and knows how to use every inch of it. He shoots over smaller defenders on the perimeter and blows by bigger, slower defenders. On the low-block, he punishes smaller defenders and is too quick with his post moves against bigger, slower defenders. In the semis, Haleyville had no answer for him. The only thing that slowed down Sheldon was his stamina. He appeared highly winded, which caused many to question his conditioning. Even though his squad was down at the half, Sheldon was the source of production that kept his team close until his teammates got it going. <blockquote> Sheldon contributed on both ends of the floor with scoring, passing, rebounding, and defense. </blockquote> Jacksonville threw numerous defenders at him in the finals with multiple looks, which slowed him down and resulted in an off-shooting night. His stock definitely rose throughout the Final Four, and he will see movement in our final rankings. His stat line for the Final Four was as follows:   Semifinals: 23pts (9-12; 75% from the field) (3-3; 100% from three); 15-rebounds   Finals: 14pts (7-17; 41% from the field)   Joe Aldridge (6’2/Combo Guard/2024)   School: Haleyville HS Instagram: j0e_a1 Twitter: N/A   Joe was one of the best shooters across all classifications at the Final Four. In the semifinal game, Joe put up impressive numbers and did so at a good shooting percentage. <blockquote> He has a quick release and can get his shot off in tight situations. </blockquote> He made some tough shots in some clutch moments down the stretch keeping his squad close as Escambia tried stretching out the lead. The strength of Joe’s game is obvious his perimeter shooting, and as he continues to develop his game off the bounce, he can develop into one of the most prolific scorers in the state. Joe’s stat line was as follows:   Semifinals: 25pts (8-17; 47% from the field) (4-9; 44% from three)   [player_tooltip player_id="966158" first="Bradley" last="Thomas"] (6’1/Combo Guard/2022)   School: St. James HS Instagram: N/A Twitter: N/A   Bradley is an athletic guard that is tough off the bounce. He is aggressive on his drives and finishes thru contact. He gave Jacksonville Perimeter defenders a tough time as they tried to keep him out of the paint. St. James’ offense ran through Bradley, and as often as the ball was in his hands and the things he was asked to do for his team as the floor general, he took care of the ball after a shaky start. He finished with 6-turnovers; most occurred early in the contest and could have been attributed to the pressure of playing on the biggest stage of the year. <blockquote> Bradley showed his ability to get downhill in a hurry off the bounce as the game progressed. </blockquote> He forced help off his penetration and made good decisions when the defense collapsed on him. He made others around him better; unfortunately, they ran into a highly talented Jacksonville squad that is already picked to repeat as champions. Bradley’s stat line was as follows:   Semifinals: 11pts (4-13; 31% from the field)   [player_tooltip player_id="1385927" first="Caden" last="Johnson"] (6’5/Forward/2023)   School: Jacksonville HS Instagram: N/A Twitter: N/A   Caden was one of the most athletic and versatile players in the entire Final Four across all classifications. He has good positional size and length. He is an enormous talent whose stock is rising and will be one of the top seniors taking the court next year for his senior campaign. He is currently ranked #12 in our 2023 state rankings and will most likely be on the move with his performance at the Final Four. He s a multi-dimensional scorer that got it done at all levels. <blockquote> From his shooting percentages, you see that he was very efficient with his scoring opportunities. </blockquote> He is a big-time gamer on a loaded team that was very productive in all facets of the game. Defensively he is highly versatile and can guard multiple positions. His athleticism was a separator when it came to him and others on the court, and he flashed it on both ends of the floor. His stat line for the Final Four was as follows:   Semifinals: 13pts (6-9; 67% from the field) (1-3; 33% from the three) 6-rebounds   Finals: 15pts (5-10; 50% from the field) (2-4; 50% from three); 6-rebounds   More news is coming from the AHSAA Final Four.