Region 16 Top Performers

<p>Division IV kicked off the Regional week with two matchups at Trent Arena. Tri-Village and Botkins both won setting up a massive rematch for a chance to go to State. Read below who were some of the best performers in the two games.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="967174" first="Layne" last="Sarver"]</strong> (2022) <em>Tri-Village</em></p> <p>Sarver had a big offensive performance in the win over East Knox, finishing with a game-high 32 points. The 6-foot-5 senior was the one bright spot for the Patriots on a night where the offense wasn’t flowing among the rest of the team. Sarver scored practically at will but especially hit the midrange shot both open and contested throughout the game. I like Sarver’s scoring potential on a given night and will be intrigued to see if he can replicate against Botkins on Friday.</p> <p><strong>Shane Knepp</strong> (2022) <em>East Knox</em></p> <p>Even when the Bulldogs looked out of it, Knepp kept fighting and did what he could to try and keep them somewhat in the game. The senior guard couldn’t get much going on the perimeter but instead put the ball on the ground and was in attack mode when he was on the floor. It is hard to score against Tri-Village’s disciplined defense so the fact Knepp finished with 19 points says a lot about his potential.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1165701" first="Carter" last="Pleiman"]</strong> (2023) <em>Botkins</em></p> <p>Pleiman continues to make strides practically every time I’ve seen him in action. Following up after a good performance against Ripley in the District Finals, Pleiman had one of his best performances as he defended Catholic Central’s speedy guard <strong>Ashton Young </strong>(2022), holding him to a quiet night on the offensive end. Pleiman impressed me with his body control in the paint as he was collected in finishing around the rim with a soft touch.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1045457" first="Jacob" last="Pleiman"]</strong> (2022) <em>Botkins</em></p> <p>Pleiman had a somewhat "quiet" game against Ripley as he didn’t really jump off the page. From the tip on Tuesday, Pleiman was ready to go and impacted the game. The 6-foot-7 big man stretches the floor and pulled the Catholic Central defense out of the paint to account for his shooting touch which he showed off. Utilized good footwork and post moves on the Irish defense and showed a lot of inside-out skill. Friday will give Pleiman a chance to have another strong offensive outing against Tri-Village’s size.</p> <p><strong>Tyler Galluch</strong> (2023) <em>Catholic Central</em></p> <p>It wasn’t the prettiest performance, but Galluch got 20+ in the Regional Semifinal against Botkins. With [player_tooltip player_id="1045457" first="Jacob" last="Pleiman"] defending him, Galluch utilized his quicker moves on the block when faced with his back to the basket. This gave him some good shots in the paint. Galluch has become almost automatic when it comes to shots in the paint, but struggled mightily in this one to get shots to fall beyond the free-throw line extended. He will be the focal point for the Irish next year and could be bound for a big Spring on the AAU scene.</p>