District Semis in Toledo

Last night I was in Toledo for the District Semifinals between Bowling Green and Northview + St. John’s Jesuit and Whitmer. Northview had a dominant performance over Bowling Green winning it 76-40 and St. John’s and Whitmer followed it up with an instant overtime classic that was ended with a game-winning buzzer-beater to give Whitmer the win 59-57. [player_tooltip player_id="1398622" first="Tony" last="Fisher Jr"]. (2022) - F 6’3 - Whitmer <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Tony-Fisher2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1398922 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Tony-Fisher2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> I absolutely love this kid’s game. He plays his tail off every single night and is tough. He does all the dirty work for Whitmer by getting offensive and defensive rebounds over multiple players from the other team. He was a bully in the paint last night by simply outworking and being stronger. Came up big with rebounds and and-1s. Runs the floor hard and gets rewarded when he does. Freak athletically for his size, he had a two-handed dunk off a no-step vertical. A high motor kid that loves to play the game and someone everyone wants on their team. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/CJ-Hornbeak2.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1398925 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/CJ-Hornbeak2-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="867941" first="CJ" last="Hornbeak"] (2023) - G 6’3 - St. John’s Jesuit Hornbeak stole the show late last night. St. John’s was trailing about three and half quarters of the game and then Hornbeak decided to take over and show off his scoring ability. He hit multiple threes and had a bunch of tough finishes. He does a great job of finishing quickly before the help side can get there and finishing over defenders as well. Once he gets it going behind the arc it’s a scary sight. It opens his game up so much more. He came up clutch over and over again, hitting two free throws to send the game into OT, and had a layup to put the Titans up with less than 5 seconds left in OT. Finished the game with 28 points and joined the 1,000 point scorer club. He has a very tight handle with some great moves that keep the defense off balance. Also an underrated defender. [player_tooltip player_id="921806" first="Kasey" last="Hunt"] (2022) - G 6’3 - Sylvania Northview <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Kasey-Hunt1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1398928 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Kasey-Hunt1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Hunt put on an offensive clinic last night. Scored at every level. He is known for being a shooter and he showed that off greatly but he also showed some nice slashing ability. Made the defense pay for out-of-control close-outs by driving right by them and had great touch around the rim. Hunt is sneaky athletic - nice bounce, quick, and strong. Has a good build that will definitely develop more at the next level and will take his game to a very high level. Antione West (2025) - G 6’2 - Whitmer <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Antione-West3.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1398933 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Antione-West3-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> West left the gym buzzing. He hit a bank shot three-pointer as time expired in overtime to keep the Panthers’ season alive. I saw West player earlier this year and what jumped out to me right away was the noticeable improvements he has made. He seemed to be so much more comfortable and calm. Showed a better ability of understanding angles and attacking lanes way more and showed it off by getting to the rim almost at will. I believe he will keep taking these leaps and bounds and will become a very good player. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/KV1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1398934 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/KV1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="1398624" first="Kennedy" last="Vaughn"] (2022) - PG 5’11 - St. John’s Jesuit Vaughn is a very underrated player. He has some nice athleticism that goes perfectly with his game. He has some very high bounce that allows him to finish with bigger defenders and has great quickness. He is a great and creative defender that can pick anyone up full court and has a knack for creating turnovers. Great pace to his game that never gets sped up by any amount of pressure. Very tight handle and knows how to drive and prod at the defense until something is there for him to score or someone to pass to. He is very smart when deciding to attack or not and gets by defenders more times than not when he does. Vaughn showed improvement all season long in his shooting ability as well. [player_tooltip player_id="809616" first="Sean" last="Craig"] (2022) - F 6’6 - Sylvania Northview <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Sean-Craig1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1398935 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Sean-Craig1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Craig took over in the second quarter for Northview after they were trailing after the first. He can score inside and out, also has a nice pull-up jumper. With his size, he has the ability to hit some very tough shots over defenders. He attacks the offensive glass very hard and gets a lot of his points on bullying defenders and getting second-chance buckets. Strong kid with a good build I am very interested to see how he does at the University of Indianapolis. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Kenny-Biggs1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1398936 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Kenny-Biggs1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="1398621" first="Kenny" last="Biggs"] (2022) - G 6’1 - Sylvania Northview Biggs impressed me a lot. He had very high energy and played his tail off. He hit multiple threes and showed he is a sniper on kick-outs. Had multiple good and strong takes and finishes at the rim. Very quick first step and uses it nicely on both ends. Biggs had a big game for Northview and was a key player for their win over Bowling Green. Grant Kopan (2022) - W/F 6’2 - Sylvania Northview <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Grant-Kopan1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1398937 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2022/03/Grant-Kopan1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> Kopan was a big part of the win for Northview. He is a strong kid that had multiple tough takes and finishes over multiple defenders. Showed off some very nice moves to get to the lane. Showed great footwork and patience once he got in the lane as well. Has a wide frame with a good build. Brought a lot of energy and defensive intensity as well.