State Tournament: Saturday Standouts

<p><strong>Skylar Roybal | Auburn</strong></p> <p>The junior small forward created issues for the Ashland-Greenwood interior defense, scoring a game-high 15 points and grabbing 5 offensive rebounds. Roybal was one of three Bulldogs who played all 32 minutes, and his energy from start to finish kept his team in the game throughout. Both teams shot it poorly, Auburn slightly worse, Roybal’s rebounding gave Auburn enough second chances to break even, and it took one of the great shots in state tournament history to finally put away the Bulldogs.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890577" first="Cale" last="Jacobsen"] | Ashland-Greenwood</strong></p> <p>It wasn’t a record-setting scoring performance like he had in the previous round, but Cale ended his high school career with another balanced, and quietly dominant effort. Jacobsen had 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. He was tasked with guarding [player_tooltip player_id="1031581" first="Maverick" last="Binder"] of Auburn for a majority of the game, who was held to just three shot attempts and one three-point make off a scramble situation. In the final seconds, Jacobsen could have shot a contested floater like he had made all game. Instead, despite the Bluejays shooting 1-10 from three up to that point, Jacobsen trusted his teammate in the corner to knock down the biggest shot in Ashland-Greenwood history. That’s all you need to know about the player [player_tooltip player_id="890577" first="Cale" last="Jacobsen"].</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013231" first="Jaden" last="Jackson"] | Bellevue West (pictured)</strong></p> <p>Jackson led the Thunderbirds in scoring with 17 (7-10 FG 2-3 3FG) and played his usual high-level defense. He rebounded two of those 3 misses himself, leading to a made layup and 2 free throws. Those putbacks came at a crucial moment in the game, as Bellevue West was working to cut into their late deficit. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="787647" first="Jasen" last="Green"] | Millard North</strong></p> <p>The dominant performances have become routine for Green. In the finals, he finished with 13 points (6-11 FG), 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. He had at least three additional altered shots at the rim. If there was any doubt that Green was the best defensive player in Nebraska, this state tournament run solidified his place at the top.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1018812" first="David" last="Harmon"] | Millard North</strong></p> <p>There is no better time to set a career-high scoring mark than in the State Championship in your final high school game. Harmon led all scorers with 26 points (9-16 FG, 2-3 FG, 6-7 FT), but was just as impactful on the glass. Harmon is a gifted rebounder, one of the best at the guard position in Nebraska. He ended with 8 rebounds (3 offensive), which is made even more impactful because he can grab it and go himself. His energy was infectious, and a joy to watch from press row. Harmon struggled to find himself early in the season. There were a lot of turnovers and he was forcing his offense. His coaches took him off the ball a few months into the season, and he immediately thrived in his new role. It all culminated in the best performance of his career in the biggest game of his life.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>