Mitchell vs. Harrisburg

This game was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday, January 3rd, but they were able to move it up because of the weather.   This afternoon's game was a tale of two halves. Mitchell was in charge in the first half and [player_tooltip player_id='1625212' first='Steele' last='Morgan'] was hot. The Kernels seemed to be the aggressors and they set the tone. The second half was a different story. The Tigers took control of the momentum, knocked down timely shots, played tough, and made more plays than the Kernels. This led to a dominant second half by the Tigers.   See below for stats, numbers, quotes from coach Scott Langerock, and comments on the impressive players.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/MitchellKernels/status/1609238848105480192 </div></figure>   PHD fired some questions at coach Scott Langerock after the Tiger win...    PHD: How did your team bounce back and overcome the adversity from the first half?   Coach Langerock: "We just reminded them that they need to compete a little. We were just out there playing and Mitchell was playing much faster and showed more toughness in every aspect."   PHD: Who are a couple of unsung heroes from this game?   Coach Langerock: "[player_tooltip player_id='1625182' first='Braeden' last='Vanbockern'] made a couple of shots, he needed that for his confidence. [player_tooltip player_id='1348899' first='Camden' last='Phipps'] was solid, still working on the pace of play with him as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1270335' first='Jacoby' last='Mehrman'] was a difference-maker on the defensive end. [player_tooltip player_id='1625212' first='Steele' last='Morgan'] had 16 at halftime and we made the switch to Jacoby guarding him and he only had the 1 FG on a putback and that was when someone had a switch to guard him."    PHD: What do you hope to keep improving on going into the next game?   Coach Langerock: "Continue to play thru the paint consistently. Movement without the ball so we don't have to create with the bounce. We will be putting in some new entries and flow actions to provide a different look and to get Jacoby off the ball a little more."    SCORES   1Q: Mitchell 17  Harrisburg 15   2Q: Mitchell 35 Harrisburg 29   3Q: Mitchell 43 Harrisburg 49   4Q: Mitchell 57 Harrisburg 75   NUMBERS   3's Made: Mitchell10 Harrisburg 7   FT's: Mitchell 5/9 Harrisburg 16/21   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/02/ImpressivePlayers.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/02/ImpressivePlayers.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1395482" /></a></figure>   Mitchell Kernels   [player_tooltip player_id='963805' first='Dylan' last='Soulek'] (2023) |6'3 G|   12 points, 2 triples. He stuck out as a good athlete, especially when he was aggressive and attacking the defense. Soulek has good size as a backcourt player. His jumper from beyond the arc was accurate and smooth. Soulek also scored with a tip steal that led to a transition score, and he scored via a runner/floater. Soulek is a 3-level scorer with size and athleticism.   [player_tooltip player_id='1625212' first='Steele' last='Morgan'] (2023) |6'5 F|   18 points, 4 triples. He was smoking hot in the first half! Morgan scored 16 of his 18 points in the first/second quarters. He looked amazing in the catch-and-shoot game. After he saw the first one go down, Morgan was letting them fly with confidence. He also scored around the basket with an aggressive drop step. He was also generous with the basketball, Morgan passed out of the post and he shared the rock. Besides hitting four 3's, Steele boarded well, grabbed a couple of O-boards, and he showed a noteworthy Skima move. Steele is a player to keep eyes on, he is going to have a big senior season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1661116' first='Aiden' last='Myers'] (2023) |6'1 G|   7 points, 5-7 FT's. He stuck out to me as an active player on both ends. Myers delivered nice passes, blocked a shot on D, grabbed O-boards, and played with high NRG.   [player_tooltip player_id='963764' first='Charlie' last='McCardle'] (2023) |6'2 F|   4 points. He is strong, thick, and powerful. At the same time, McCardle is fleet-footed and he moves well. I like that he finishes with both hands around the rim. Charlie has an impressive finishing package. I liked the looks of his shot fake, pivots, spins, and footwork. McCardle also looks like an unselfish passer. He showed great effort when giving up his body to take a charge.   [player_tooltip player_id='1466940' first='Colton' last='Smith'] (2026) |6'4 F|   2 points. He did not fill up the scoring column but it was easy to tell that Smith is talented. He looked slim, but he was also on the court with juniors and seniors. Smith moves well on the court, you can tell that he has played his fair share of hoops. Colton's bucket came off a sharp cut-n-score. He impressed me with an offensive rebound in traffic. Most freshmen would not be in the paint mixing it up with upperclassmen like that.   [player_tooltip player_id='1625209' first='Markus' last='Talley'] (2025) |6'0 G|   11 points, 3 triples. He stuck out right away with his fast twitch movement and quick feet. Talley also made a great impression with his sweet lefty shooting stroke. The youngster knocked down treys in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters. Marcus has a bright future.   Harrisburg Tigers   [player_tooltip player_id='963803' first='Ethan' last='Determan'] (2023) |6'3 G|   22 points, 3-4 FT's, 3 triples. He looked good attacking off the bounce. Ethan is quick and athletic going downhill. I have known him mainly as a lethal 3-point shooter, but Determan looked like a true scorer today. I was impressed when he caught, ripped/drove baseline, and finished with a defender in his face. Determan also passed the ball with good vision. He delivered a lefty dime to Phipps off the dribble. Ethan had another drive and dish when he was attacking. Ethan shot the lights out in the 4th quarter with three 3-pointers. On defense, Determan showed keen anticipation when picking off passes. Determan is an All-State type talent.   [player_tooltip player_id='1625182' first='Braeden' last='Vanbockern'] (2024) |6'3 G|   10 points, 2-2 FT's, 2 triples. I knew that he was a shooter, and Braeden proved it today with a couple of 3-balls. He is a long guard that can make plays happen. Braeden grabbed offensive rebounds, scored with a soft floater, and he deflected passes. VanBockern is another Tiger that is much more than just a shooter.   [player_tooltip player_id='1270335' first='Jacoby' last='Mehrman'] (2024) |6'4 G|   14 points, 4-6 FT's. Like coach Langerock said above, Mehrman was a difference-maker on the defensive end in the 2nd half. Jacoby was aggressive off the bounce and this led to the lefty getting to the FT-line. He scored most of his points around the basket, but Jacoby showed off a smooth pull-up game. I liked his effort when his shot got blocked, Jacoby stayed with it, grabbed the ball, and stuck it in for 2nd chance points. He may run the 1 often, but Mehrman can score with his size and strength in the lane. His athleticism and hangtime were on display when he finished in front of two defenders at the rim. Mehrman is definitely a two-way player.   [player_tooltip player_id='1484570' first='Max' last='Knutson'] (2023) |6'4 F|   12 points, 2-2 FT's, 2 triples. He is a long and rangy basketball player. Max looked fluid when catching and shooting his triples, he appears to have a clean stroke. Knutson battled on the boards and he scored with an O-board tip-in. This Tiger is ATHLETIC!   [player_tooltip player_id='1348899' first='Camden' last='Phipps'] (2024) |6'6 F|   15 points, 5-6 FT's. Wow, he is a beast! Phipps takes up a ton of space and he has no trouble carving out an area for himself around the rim. Camden got the scoring going with a soft baby hook score. I was impressed with his feet around the basket. He also showed a good step-through move around the hoop. Phipps shares the ball and he kicks to shooters. Camden had an important score before halftime to keep the score close. He showed off his strength with his AND1 score. Phipps is a monster and he is going to be a thorn in the side of opposing post-players all season!   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/SD-1.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/03/SD-1.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1399487" /></a></figure>

This game was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday, January 3rd, but they were able to move it up because of the weather.