AHSAA Final 4: Class 5A Standouts

The Class 5A Final Four saw two competitive semifinal games and a highly contested finals match-up. Lee-Huntsville HS battled hard to capture the blue map, so we would like to congratulate Lee-Huntsville HS on being the Class 5A 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/2022/01/PH-Jacari-Lane.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1369560 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Jacari-Lane-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="725171" first="Jacari" last="Lane"] (6’0/Guard/2022)   School: Lee HS Instagram: Jacarilane5 Twitter: @Jacari_lane5   I was talking to a member of the media that covers the Huntsville area, and he hinted that if Jacari had a couple more inches, he would probably be the best player in the Huntsville area and possibly the state. That is a nice thought, but where Jacari is right now is not bad, as he is still amongst the talks as one of the best players in the state. We have him ranked #9 in the state, and his senior campaign has brought up questions of has he shown that he deserves to be moved up. <blockquote> His presence and leadership on the court was the underlying difference-maker to Lee repeating as state champions. </blockquote> His play during the finals stabilized Lee as a determined Ramsay team fought tooth and nail to the final buzzer. Jacari had a mature performance which has to be credited to his varsity and big game experience throughout his high school career. His stat line from the Final Four is as follows:   Semifinals: 16pts (7-14; 50% from the field)   Finals: 12pts (6-12; 50% from the field)   Barton Elliott (6’3/Forward/2022)   School: UMS-Wright HS Instagram: N/A Twitter: @bartonelliott7   Barton and his crew ran into an experienced Lee-Huntsville team, and it was tough for them to get anything going against the pressure defense of Lee. Barton led his team in scoring with ten points with only four shot attempts. Most of his damage was done in catch-and-shoot situations from behind the arc. He shot 67% from behind the arc but needed to have been more aggressive in looking for and creating his shots. He had a solid performance in the semifinal game, and his final stat line was as follows:   Semifinals: 10pts (3-4; 75% from the field) (2-3; 67% from three)   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/PH-PJ-Davis.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1325968 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/PH-PJ-Davis-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>Preston Davis Jr (PJ) (6’2/Combo Guard/2022)   School: Ramsay High School Instagram: pjdavisjr0 Twitter: @pjdavisjr1   PJ had an impressive Final Four outing as he tried to lead the Rams in capturing the elusive blue map. He did everything you need from your starting PG and veteran leader. He facilitated the offense and got his teammates involved early and often. He scored when needed and had big clutch shots during the finals. His performance got several coaches reaching out asking about his recruitment. I will share more about his recruitment status in my upcoming College Coaches Report. <blockquote> PJ has good positional size and is a physical guard, that showed he is a capable defensive stopper and a guard that does not mind crashing the boards. </blockquote> He put up solid numbers yet found himself still without the blue map. His stats for the Final Four was as follows:   Semifinals: 19pts (9-13; 69% from the field); 9-rebounds   Finals: 13pts (6-13; 46% from the field)   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/PH-Bryson-Dawkins.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1396847 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/02/PH-Bryson-Dawkins-300x300.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>Bryson Dawkins (6’3/Wing/2022)   School: Carroll HS Instagram: lxbryson Twitter: @BrysonDawkins   Bryson was one of the most explosive and athletic players at the Final Four across all classifications. The crowd-pleasing aesthetics and finishes above the rim were on full display and had everyone in the building hanging on his next move when the ball was in his hands. Getting to the basket wasn’t a problem for Bryson because he is so explosive off the bounce. I sat and watched and wondered how much more effective would his game be if he was playing with players with a better understanding of spacing. As I watched Bryson’s game, I watched it thru the lens of him playing at the next level and how will he impact winning. <blockquote> He had a good field goal percentage as a lot of his shot attempts were at the rim out of transition or off the bounce in half-court action. </blockquote> He will learn quickly that athleticism and explosiveness are a common thing with many at the next level, and getting to the rack won’t be as easy. He will have to continue to improve his perimeter shot and handles as he makes the step to the collegiate level. He definitely has the potential and tools for the next level; we will see where he lands and the type of fit it will be for him. His final outing in high school ended with the following stat line: Semifinals: 24pts (12-18; 67% from the field)   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Deavious-Woods.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1376270 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/01/PH-Deavious-Woods-300x300.png" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="902728" first="DeAvious" last="Woods"] (6’5/Forward/2023)   School: Lee HS Instagram: deavious_256 Twitter: N/A   Deavious didn’t have to do much during the semifinal game as his team cruised to a victory over UMS-Wright. However, with everything on the line D. Woods came up big in the final seconds of the championship game as he made the game-winning lay-up with 4-seconds left on the clock. He has good positional size and often found himself in match-ups against Ramsay that he took advantage of. Now many say things would have been different had Ramsay’s star [player_tooltip player_id="836585" first="Kerrington" last="Kiel"] had not been ejected with two-technical fouls in the first half. Just maybe Kerrington would have been matched up against D. Woods in the final seconds. <blockquote> It is ok to play the what-if game, but what we know for sure is that Deavious stepped up in the championship game, made key buckets down the stretch, and pulled down key rebounds. </blockquote> He had an impressive championship game performance, and it was his play that led Lee and secured for himself the game’s MVP award. His stat line for the Final Four was as follows:   Semifinals: 6pts (1-3; 33% from the field)   Finals: 22pts (9-15; 60% from the field); 7-rebounds   More news is coming from the AHSAA Final Four.