Prospect Report: Radnor vs Lower Merion
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The top two teams in the Central League went head-to-head Tuesday night at Lower Merion. In front of their home crowd, the Aces kept it close in the first half, but the Raptors blew the game open in the third…
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Continue ReadingThe top two teams in the Central League went head-to-head Tuesday night at Lower Merion. In front of their home crowd, the Aces kept it close in the first half, but the Raptors blew the game open in the third quarter. Radnor won 64-41 and moved to 17-0 on the season. Here are a few of the prospects who stood out:
Radnor
Jackson Gaffney | 6’7 W 2023
The Raptors sixth man, Gaffney swung the game in Radnor’s favor when he came in off the bench. He was able to make plays while attacking closeouts due to how well he handles the ball at his size. But rather than as a creator, his biggest impact came as a play-finisher. He knocked down two triples off the catch and later and later had two huge dunks in the fourth to put the game on ice. Gaffney finished 14 points and 2 assists.
Jackson Hicke Jackson Hicke 6'5" | SF Radnor | 2023 State PA | 6’5 G/W 2023
Whenever and wherever Hicke caught the ball, he had 5 sets of eyes locked-in on him. That didn’t stop him from being aggressive. The Princeton-signee was throwing DIMES. Hicke turned self-created paint-touches into multiple kickouts for three and backdoor cuts for layups. He also pulled down 10 rebounds to go along with his 5 points and 7 assists.
Cooper Mueller Cooper Mueller 6'3" | SG Radnor | 2023 State PA | 6’3 G 2023
Unlike Hicke, Mueller is going to Princeton for lacrosse instead of basketball. But, as Radnor’s best on-ball defender, he drew the toughest assignment. Cooper stuck to Brown like glue, not allowing him enough space to pull up or catch the ball clean coming off screens. When he wasn’t on Brown, he was usually one pass away in help. Mueller nabbed 3 steals and chipped in 8 points.
Charlie Thornton Charlie Thornton 6'4" | SF Radnor | 2023 State PA | 6’4 W 2023
One of the top uncommitted players in the Philly area, Thornton got to the rim early and often versus LM. He cut up the Aces’ defense with his off-ball movement, perfectly timing when to take the right angles toward the basket, one of which was an alley-oop. He put the finishing touches on his performance with a catch-and-shoot three as he scored a team-high 15 points.
Lower Merion
Sam Brown Sam Brown 6'3" | CG Lower Merion | 2023 State PA | 6’2 G 2023
The Raptors were determined to take away the Penn-signee and he still dropped 16 points. After a slow first quarter, Brown exploded in the second. He used on- and off-ball screens to create the separation he needed to get his shot off, cashing two threes in the period. Additionally, he countered Radnor’s guards crowding him by getting in the lane for pull up twos and layups.
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