Early District Championship Game Standouts

The bulk of the district championship games around the state will be played on Friday and Saturday. However, there have been a few district championship trophies handed out on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Congratulations to Blue Springs (Class 6), William Chrisman (Class 5), Vashon, New Madrid Central, Park Hills Central, Lift for Life (Class 4) on their district championships. Here is a look at some of those top standouts from the past two nights of district championship action.   <h5>Blue Springs</h5> Ikenna Ezeogu: The 6’6" 2022 Iowa State football recruit had a magnificent performance in the Wildcats’ 71-40 victory over Hickman in the Class 6, District 7 championship game. In an incredible display of athleticism and dominance, he had 21 points in the first quarter and 32 points at halftime. He’s an athlete with good quickness and a tremendous motor that never stops running. He can score around the basket and he’s a tenacious rebounder at both ends. His skill set is also good as he can step out and knock down a perimeter shot. He’s going to play Division I football, but he’s definitely a Division I basketball prospect as well.     <h5>William Chrisman</h5> Jesse Minter: The 6’2" 2022 combo guard scored a game-high 18 points in the Bears’ victory over Platte County in the Class 5, District 8 championship game at Winnetonka. The transfer from Kansas City East has been a huge addition to the Bears’ team this year. He’s a sleek, smooth running athlete who can slash into the lane and score at a variety of angles. His pull-up jumper is nice with good elevation and balance. He also uses his length to be an excellent defender. Trey Taylor: The 5’10" 2024 guard came off the bench to score 16 points in the victory over Platte County. He hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer and was off and running from there. He ended up with four 3-pointers on the night. He also had a couple of smooth takes to the basket where he scored in the lane. Very nice and under control. [player_tooltip player_id="1175035" first="Dayne" last="Herl"]: The 6’5" 2022 wing scored 11 points in the win over Platte County. He did much of his scoring in the second half as he spent much of the first half spreading the ball around to his teammates. He drained a pair of 3-pointers and he used his size to attack the basket and score.   <h5>Vashon</h5>   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/A4C3ECE2-1BEB-4CAD-933C-42763F84F7CD.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1241776" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/07/A4C3ECE2-1BEB-4CAD-933C-42763F84F7CD-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1264291" first="Cameron" last="Stovall"]: The 6’6" 2023 forward scored a game-high 22 points in the Wolverines’ victory host Soldan in the Class 4, District 5 championship game. He is a tough matchup because of his size and his ability to attack off the dribble against opposing bigs. He’s an excellent finisher on the move and he’s also a tireless worker on the offensive boards.     <h5>New Madrid Central</h5>   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/F8217C23-BB10-4F73-9E7D-698085A98009.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1344387" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/F8217C23-BB10-4F73-9E7D-698085A98009-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1180834" first="Marcelous" last="Phillips"]: The 6’5" 2022 forward is a quiet, yet very effective producer for the Eagles. That was evident in his 19-point performance in Thursday night’s 60-40 victory over Dexter in the Class 4, District 1 championship game at Dexter. He’s an explosive athlete around the basket with a game that is solid meat and potatoes. He finishes inside and rebounds with a lot of activity. It’s not fancy, but its very productive.     <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/F8273CF6-1D31-449D-8B9F-FD5990E8B2E1.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1349031" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/F8273CF6-1D31-449D-8B9F-FD5990E8B2E1-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> Shamar Williamson (New Madrid Central): The 6’0" guard had 14 points in the victory over Dexter on Thursday night. He’s a high-energy performer who plays well with pace and looks to stay in attack mode as much as he can. He’s physically strong and he finishes well in traffic.     <h5>Lift for Life</h5> Anthony Caldwell: The 5’9" 2022 guard has a reputation of being a clutch performer and he added to that in Wednesday’s victory over Confluence Academy in the Class 4, District 4 championship game at Cardinal Ritter. He scored a game-high 21 points, which included a clutch 3-pointer with 20 seconds left to break a 74-74 tie. It proved to be the game-winning shot. He’s quick and he’s always moving to get to the right spots to get off his smooth lefty perimeter jumpers.   [player_tooltip player_id="1288563" first="Odis" last="Grissom"]: The 6’0" 2023 guard scored 13 points in the Hawks victory over Confluence Academy. He’s a talented guard who goes about his business in an understated manner. He has good fundamentals and he makes good decisions while still being able to play at a very fast tempo.     Park Hills Central   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/4BC9FAE5-CC04-4911-AC76-9B97CF42A282.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1224954" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/4BC9FAE5-CC04-4911-AC76-9B97CF42A282-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1160661" first="Jobe" last="Bryant"]: The 6’0" 2024 point guard scored 24 points to lead the Rebels to a 74-56 victory over Potosi in the Class 4, District 2 championship game. He can get to the basket about any time he wants to with his physical strength and elite handles and he finishes very well in the lane. He can also drop a dime as well as anybody.   <h5> </h5>