Division IV Southwest District Performers

<p>Tuesday was the first District Final action across the state as UD Arena played host to 3 Finals. In the end, Tri-Village, Botkins and Springfield Catholic Central advanced and will now play in the Regional tournament next week. Throughout the day, several players impressed me in both winning and losing efforts. Check out those players here.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="967174" first="Layne" last="Sarver"]</strong> (Tri-Village) 2022</p> <p>Sarver was able to put his athleticism on display against Fayetteville as he had several dunks that fueled the Patriots and shifted the momentum their way. His defense was impressive on-ball as he was tasked at times with defending Fayetteville’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1082242" first="Jayden" last="Bradshaw"]</strong> and held him to a quiet day. Sarver’s size in D-IV is tough to prepare for, especially since he can beat guys off the bounce or utilize his shooting touch.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1165701" first="Carter" last="Pleiman"]</strong> (Botkins) 2023</p> <p>Pleiman has adjusted into a new role with the defending state champions running the point. His facilitating and leadership really lets the Trojans stretch the floor and open opportunities to get perimeter shots off. While Pleiman has become a great passer, he can still fill up a stat sheet on the offensive end. He has shown more explosiveness and is creating a lot of mismatches as most opponents’ Point Guards are smaller than the 6-foot-5 junior.</p> <p><strong>Drew Cooper</strong> (Ripley) 2022</p> <p>Cooper fought hard for the Blue Jays in their loss to Botkins and left everything on the floor. The 6-foot-6 Center looked like an OT on the football field and was a problem for Botkins on the glass. Cooper couldn’t be boxed out due to his size and he worked harder on some opportunities. Finished so well in traffic and just worked his tail off on the offensive end on the blocks. Secured some big rebounds but just didn’t have the support to pull the upset.</p> <p><strong>Carson Regula</strong> (Jackson Center) 2022</p> <p>Regula brought a physicality factor for the Tigers we are used to seeing in Scott Elchert’s program. The senior was controlled but aggressive on the defensive end and played through and initiated contact. Regula was one of the more disciplined offensive players throughout the day as he was good at getting shoulders squared to the rim and making his play. Cut with a purpose and made Catholic Central work on the defensive end.</p> <p><strong>Ashton Young</strong> (Catholic Central) 2022</p> <p>Young did something we typically don’t see when a team plays Jackson Center. He found a weakness and exploited it all 32 minutes. Young was slashing from all angles using his quickness to get by the initial defenders and beat the help-side rotation. He demonstrated great court awareness and vision seeing some of the help-side shifts before they could stop him and getting the ball out of his hands. Young was relentless on the drive and got many buckets just off tough layups. </p>