Jack Tosh Holiday Classic: Thursday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are my Thursday standouts from last weeks Jack Tosh Holiday Classic</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750705' first='Braden' last='Richardson'], York 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Richardson got open inside for three easy buckets in the opening minutes. When things got more challenging, he continued to impress. Richardson converted an and-one late in the quarter and knocked down back-to-back 3's in the 2nd quarter. He outscored St. Pats by himself for the first quarter and a half. Richardson attested the 2nd half with an and-one conversion. He was almost perfect from the floor and finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1541232' first='AJ' last='Levine'], York 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Levine's play style reminds me of Trae Young's. He's a confident shooter who can let it fly anywhere and never gets cold. He facilitated really well and showed off terrific ball-handling abilities. Levine had numerous assists early on to Richardson and several other teammates throughout the game. He made challenging plays look easy for a strong 19 point, 6 assist outing in a big win over St. Patrick. What also impressed me was his defensive abilities. He forced several turnovers and blocked a shot in the final seconds of the third quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1766461' first='EJ' last='Mosley'], St. Laurence 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mosley was the first Viking in to double figures with a couple 3's and some baseline drives to the hoop. He's got quick hands on defense and helped force lots of turnovers. He impressed in transition with several finds to teammates for easy scores. Mosley's play was crucial to a big advantage in the opening half. He contented to produce in the 2nd half with another 3-pointer and more solid plays on the defensive end. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mosley would lead the Vikings with 13 points on the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Connor Carroll, Lyons 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carroll had a career day for Lyons against the Wolfpack. He was hot early and got open for several 3-pt conversions. He also grabbed his own missed free throw and hit a fadeaway jumper. Carroll scored 13 first half points after averaging just six per game this season. Carroll finished with </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048328' first='Jackson' last='Niego'], Lyons 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true difference-maker today. [player_tooltip player_id='1048328' first='Jackson' last='Niego'] couldn't be stopped in the pick-and-roll and was responsible for a large chunk of the Lions buckets. Niego let it fly from everywhere on the floor and showed tremendous unselfishness, as he dished out countless assists in this game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='989270' first='Richard' last='Barron'], St. Ignatius 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It wasn't Ignatius's night as a team, but Barron put on a terrific show against Lyons. He scored 24 points and shot tremendously from beyond the arc. He converted from NBA range on numerous occasions and used his upper-body strength to get to the hoop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939055' first='Cameron' last='Christie'], Rolling Meadows 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's still him. Christie knocked down two early 3's and never lost confidence. He finished with 34 points and hit buckets all over the floor. He also got to the line frequently and allowed his teammates to contribute a ton. Playing the entire game also shows excellent fitness on his part. Rolling Meadows rolls into the championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1215298' first='Mark' last='Nikolich-Wilson'],</strong> <strong>Rolling Meadows 2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He was making video-game plays for someone of his size. He spun past a defender for his first points of the game and just keep going after that. He converted inside with a euro-step finish and a reverse layup in the second half, and then shot 2-2 from long range. Only spent a minute on the bench and finished with 18 points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->