Midwest Showdown: West Central United vs. Green Bay Freeze

<p>This was a 2025 matchup and it was one of the last games on Sunday evening. It was fun to end the weekend with a group of young up-and-coming players. Both squads have talented young players. In this article, we are checking out the impressive players from West Central United 2025 vs. Green Bay Freeze 2025.</p> <p>West Central was up 39-24 at halftime and they won by around 20 points. See below for the impressive players for both squads. </p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Midwest-Showdown.png"><img class="alignnone wp-image-1017991" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/07/Midwest-Showdown-300x186.png" alt="" width="205" height="127" /></a></p> <h4><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Impressive Players</strong></span></h4> <p><strong>Sam Hemery |5’9 PG| Green Bay Freeze 2025/Green Bay West</strong></p> <p>This lefty has a very polished game for only being a 9th grader. Sam scored a ton of points. His first bucket that I was impressed with came from a runner in the middle of the paint. From there, Hemery impressed me with his handles. He has a sick hesitation move that he uses to keep defenders off balance. Sam was great at manipulating the D. In the pick-n-roll game, he would take the defender one way and then back the opposite way directly into the screen. I liked how Hemery sized up the on-ball defense, shook them to create space, and then made plays. On multiple occasions, Sam beat the double team or trap by the opposing team and he would score with a floater before more help could get to him. His pull-up jumper also looked good and he knocked a few down with a shooters-touch roll. One of his best moves came off a spin move that led into a stepback jumper. On defense, Sam picked off passes and he created TO’s. He is a hustler that fights for loose balls. Keep your eyes on the kid from Green Bay!</p> <p><strong>Brandon Wilson |6’2 G| Green Bay Freeze 2025/Green Bay West</strong></p> <p>He is a big guard and a playmaker. Much like Hemery, Wilson scored big points in this game. He first impressed me with a shot fake that led to a pull-up jump shot. Throughout the game, Brandon was slashing and scoring from many different angles. He scored numerous times by hustling down the court and by receiving a pass from a teammate that broke the WCU pressure. I liked the zip that Wilson put on his cross-court diagonal passes. When attacking the defense, I was impressed with his aggressiveness. This good-sized guard often drew contact which brought him to the FT-line. Wilson impressed me by posting up smaller guards when he had the mismatch. He is an opportunistic scorer that knows how to score the rock.</p> <p><strong>Samson Hagstrom |5’11 G| West Central United 2025/Alexandria</strong></p> <p>He was a thief on defense by picking off passes and getting steals in the WCU press/trap. After Hagstrom picked off a pass he led the break the other way and dropped dimes. He showed nice ball skills with a sweet 1-handed pass off the dribble. </p> <p><strong>Austin McCraven |5’10 G| West Central United 2025/Ada-Borup-West</strong></p> <p>This lefty has a nice floater game. I liked how he slashed and got to the free-throw line. Austin grabbed multiple offensive rebounds. I liked his effort when going after the ball and tipping it in hope of an O-board. He is a team player with great hustle.  </p> <p><strong>Everett Nelson |6’2 G| West Central United 2025/Northern Freeze</strong></p> <p>He stood out as a slasher and an aggressive defender. Nelson knows how to draw fouls and he is a smooth shooter from the line. He showed a very smooth baseline drive that he finished with his inside hand. I like his overall skill and Nelson’s natural feel for the game. </p> <p><strong>Alex Ellison |6’2 F| West Central United 2025/Fergus Falls</strong></p> <p>He rebounded well all game and he crashed the offensive glass hard. Alex had an impressive tip-steal that he took the other way for an easy 2 points. On defense, Ellison tipped and deflected many passes. He also sacrificed his body and took a charge. I like how the lefty drove into the heart of the defense, attracted the help side defense, and kicked to open shooters. Ellison can also shoot it, he knocked down a triple with a good-looking lefty stroke.  </p> <p><strong>Henry Bethel |5’8 G| West Central United 2025/Fergus Falls</strong></p> <p>He intercepted passes in the press, pick-pocketed ballhandlers, and created all sorts of problems on defense. Henry is a super quick guard with all the skills you could ask for. He knocked down pull-up 3-pointers and scored at the rim. He also drilled spot-up 3-pointers. Bethel had an impressive drive where he split two defenders and he showed great hang time on a reverse layup finish. In the second half, Bethel drove to the rim for a finish but was blocked. He grabbed the ball quickly and scored before the defense knew what had happened. Talk about fast-twitch quick! Many times, Henry would penetrate past the initial line of the defense and kick to open shooters. He also had some impressive passes where he threaded the needle through small windows. He is a strong guard as he throws sharp passes. Bethel is a complete player.</p> <p><strong>Mason Gorghuber |6’0 G| West Central United 2025/Alexandria </strong></p> <p>He scored multiple points in transition off WCU turnovers and when they pushed the tempo. Mason forced turnovers with his active hands and anticipation. When cutting to the basket, I liked the way Mason met the pass and turned to score quickly before the D could get there. Throughout the game, Gorghuber grabbed multiple offensive rebounds. He spent some time at the charity stripe and this lefty has a smooth stroke. I don’t even think the ball hit the rim when Mason was shooting from the line.  </p> <p><strong>Tyler Bye |6’0 G| West Central United 2025/Detroit Lakes</strong></p> <p>I loved his hustle when saving a ball from going out of bounds which gave WCU an extra possession. Bye ran the floor hard and he was rewarded with transition scores. I liked his defensive fundamentals when Tyler deflected a pass with his outside hand. He tipped the ball ahead and ran down the court for a wide-open layup on the other hand. He showed good court vision by moving the ball, making the extra pass, and delivering crisp passes. On defense, Bye is an aggressive and hardworking defender. </p> <p><strong>Cadyn Dahl |6’1 G| West Central United 2025/Ada-Borup-West</strong></p> <p>He looked good in the catch-n-shoot game. Dahl can spot up and knock them down from deep. I like his compact shot with no wasted movement. He was smart about "running out" when his teammates secured a rebound, this led to easy scores for Dahl. He also showed great hustle by diving on the floor for loose 50/50 balls.</p>