Prospect Standouts From Sectional Semifinals

<p>Breaking down the top prospects that jumped out during Wednesday and Thursday's sectional semifinal matchups...</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="945811" first="Kenny" last="Garth"] - 2022 - SG -  Westosha Central</p> <p>Garth had 16 points in Central's win over Milton on Thursday. The senior guard had a few momentum-changing buckets, including a dunk that put an exclamation point in the victory. Garth also had two beautiful cross-court finds in the final minutes that led to triples for the Falcons. Always been very high on Garth and like his potential at the next level. Given his size (6-3), ability to handle the ball, explosive athleticism, and knockdown shooting ability, surprised he's not getting more attention. Think he's a relatively easy offer at the Division 2 level, especially considering that he can defend anywhere on the wing.  Garth is a terrific scorer in isolation and pick n' roll settings. His pull-up jumper is one of the best in the state.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1266551" first="Jaeden" last="Grade"] - 2023 - PG - Laconia</p> <p>A fresh addition in the 2023 rankings, Grade did not disappoint despite a loss to Lake Country Lutheran on Wednesday. The junior guard had 14 points and dished out a couple of assists. He gets into trouble at times by taking too many risks with the basketball, but there's evident advanced floor vision that Grade possesses. Grade hit two pull-up 3's early that got Laconia some momentum in the first half as the teams were still feeling each other out and trading blows. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="761407" first="Luke" last="Haertle"] - 2022 - SG - Lake Country Lutheran<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/20211211_1759090.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1346150" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/12/20211211_1759090-300x155.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="155" /></a></p> <p>Haertle did what he does in Wednesday's win over Laconia...everything.  The Wisconsin commit dropped 24  points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Perhaps most impressively, Haertle needed just 10 shots to do it, going a near-perfect 13-of-14 from the foul line. Haertle played in the middle of the zone and was just swarmed on every touch. Despite the attention, Haertle stayed patient and relaxed, often able to make something good happen for his team. One of the state's top finishers around the rim, Haertle's blend of raw power, tenacity, and finesse  give defenses fits as the 6-foot-4 guard just finds different ways to put the ball through the hoop.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1267654" first="Noah" last="Howard"] - 2022 - SG - Lake Country Lutheran</p> <p>Howard continues to be one of the biggest unsung heroes in the state. Haertle is going to take the headlines and rightfully so, but if LCL wins a gold ball, can guarantee Howard had a big role in it. The senior guard scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half as the Lightning were able to run away from Laconia  in the final 20 minutes. Howard has a knack for getting to the rim and does a great job of looking off help defenders before slicing his way into gaps. Howard finished 5-of-10 from the floor and dished out two assists. His ability to take some of the load of Haertle, who often sees 2-3 defenders at a time on his catches, has been paramount.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1141622" first="Matt" last="Kirk"] - 2023 - SG - Milton</p> <p>Been waiting for Kirk to emerge after he played well at the Top250 Expo a few years back. Milton didn’t have their usual offensive firepower due to Westosha Central’s zone, but Kirk gave his team a big lift, especially in the first half when he scored nine of his 14 points. The 6-foot-3 guard did what you have to against the zone, find the soft spots and slither your way between traffic. Kirk was able to catch in high percentage areas a few times and pro hop his way to the bucket. A plus-length guard who can also shoot it from the outside, Kirk also knocked down two triples. He was the primary defender on [player_tooltip player_id="727964" first="Jack" last="Rose"] in the first half and did an exceptional job there as well as Milton led 23-20 at the break.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="727964" first="Jack" last="Rose"] - 2022 - SG - Westosha Central</p> <p>Once Rose heated up in the second half, you could all but place the Falcons in the sectional finals. The senior guard poured in a game-high 24 points, including 18 in the second half to blow the game open. Rose is such a difficult matchup because of his ability to invert himself in the offense. The 6-foot-4 guard will often start on the block and seek post touches before floating the perimeter for catch and shoot opportunities. Not a plus athlete, but Rose has the skills and scoring awareness to free himself on and off the ball. Love his use of head fakes or stop-and-start dribbles to get defenders off their feet. One of the top 1-2 unsigned seniors in the state, Rose holds a handful of Division 1 offers.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">2022 SG [player_tooltip player_id="727964" first="Jack" last="Rose"] had 24 points to lead Westosha Central to a sectional semifinal win over Milton.<a href="https://twitter.com/JackRose_08?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JackRose_08</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/WestoshaA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WestoshaA</a> <a href="https://t.co/1EoNIvqDKC">pic.twitter.com/1EoNIvqDKC</a></p> — Prep Hoops Wisconsin (@PrepHoops_WI) <a href="https://twitter.com/PrepHoops_WI/status/1502345589337509895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>