Top Performers (Week 2)

I ended up my week at The Lighthouse Classic in Corinth, Mississippi.

Let's just say that I saw a plethora of talent this week. 

I'm not going to ramble like I did last week. 

Here's the best from this week.

Savion Anderson, Harding Academy: Anderson had 21 points, five blocks, and two steals in a loss to KIPP.

Cello Jackson, FACS: Jackson led the Crusaders with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists in an overtime win over White Station. Jacob Walker had 17 points and four assists. MJ Hayes finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

Jerrod Mackey, Hillcrest: Mackey had 34 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, and three steals in a 100-63 win over Bolton. Xavier Herron had 14 points, 14 rebounds, eight steals, and six assists. Jordan Allen finished with 29 points, six steals, and five assists.

Denaj Kimber, Knoxville Fulton: Kimber led the Falcons with 26 points in an 87-44 win over McMinn County. Taj Kimber and Tyler Lee each had 16. 

Seth Grandberry, Lausanne: Grandberry had 29 points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists in his team's win over Marion in the Memphis Hoopfest.

Emerson Tenner, Cordova: Tenner had 20 points, six assists, six rebounds, and two blocks in a win over Fayette Ware in the MLK Tournament. Braxton Jumper had 13 points, four assists, and four rebounds. Karl Burroughs had 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Randin Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Keeper Jackson, Christian Brothers: Jackson had 18 points in a win over Arlington. 

Michael Pepper, Christian Brothers: Pepper had 20 points in the Purple Wave's 67-48 win over Evangelical Christian School. Drew Petro had 15 points and six rebounds. Jack Pender added eight points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

Isaiah West, Goodpasture: West had 16 points, five assists, three steals, and three rebounds in a win over Independence. King Keary added 18 points, four steals, four assists, and two rebounds.

Nick Wiggins, Power Center Academy: Wiggins had 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals in a win over Memphis Overton in the Memphis Hoopfest. Nazir Allen had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks. Cordarious Sledge added 25 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

Jaceion Coffey, Giles County: Coffey had 20 points in a loss to Lawrence County.

Devin Hall, Cordova: Hall had 17 points, two rebounds, two steals, and one assist in a loss to Baker (AL) in The Lighthouse Classic.

Eric Jones, Fayette Ware: Jones led the Wildcats with 26 points in a win over Haleyville in The Lighthouse Classic. Damarien Yates had 13 points and 15 rebounds. Tarecous Stevens added 10 points and five blocks.

Jairus Terry, Fayette Ware: Terry had 13 points and six assists against Cordova. Tacarien Freeman had 13 points and five rebounds.

Jordan Frison, Memphis Overton: Frison had 30 points and eight assists against PCA.

Jeremy Jackson, Columbia Academy: Jackson had 15 points in his team's win over Nashville Christian. Gavin Morgan had 14. Griffin Cooper and Jake Ballard each had 10.

Damion Cox Jr., St. Benedict: Cox had 20 points and 10 assists in a win over Soulsville. Marcus Gray finished with 20 points, four rebounds, four steals, and three steals.

Tyler Jones, ECS: Jones had 11 points, four assists, three rebounds, and one steal in a 60-37 win over Corinth in The Lighthouse Classic.

Christian Alston, Bartlett: Alston led the Panthers with 29 points and seven rebounds in a 90-67 win over Madison Ridgeland Academy in The Lighthouse Classic. Regale Moore had 17. KJ Neville had 11 points and eight rebounds. Javar Daniel and Charvez Ambrose each had 10.

Josh Hubbard, MRA: Hubbard had 38 points against Bartlett. Harrison Alexander had 20.

Alex Hyder, Cleveland: The senior guard had 23 points, four rebounds, and two steals in a win over P.K. Yonge in the Florida Get Down Showcase.

Offensive balance

Bartlett had five players to score in double-digits in its win over MRA. It's the type of balance needed for a Panthers team that's replacing a senior-led backcourt – Amarr Knox and Terrance Jacobs Jr. – from a season ago.

“It really is. Better teams have balance,” Real said about his team, which shot 53.5 percent from the field in the win. “Also, we have star power. Christian (Alston) and Regale (Moore) carried us in the first half. Then Christian comes out in the second half. So, we do have star power.

“But the balance, we have, can be deadly if we play together.”

Game of the Week

Fayette Ware and Cordova battled one another in the quarterfinals round of the MLK Tournament. It was a back-and-forth affair between two prepared programs with aspirations of getting to Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

There were lead changes and counter punches thrown throughout the contest. There were plenty of talented players on the floor in the contest. The Wolfpack, who won the contest by the final score of 69-66, were led by [player_tooltip player_id='1213158' first='Emerson' last='Tenner'], [player_tooltip player_id='1564056' first='Braxton' last='Jumper'], [player_tooltip player_id='1676953' first='Randin' last='Johnson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1578703' first='Karl' last='Burroughs'].

The Wildcats were led by Jairus Terry, [player_tooltip player_id='1321569' first='Tacarien' last='Freeman'], [player_tooltip player_id='1346844' first='Damarien' last='Yates'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1676952' first='Eric' last='Jones']. 

All eight prospects played well enough for their respective team to win.