River Valley Conference Shootout: Top 2023 Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Davis Webb (Tipton)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 6-6 big man, Webb opened the Tigers' game with a nice post touch, drop-step into a lefty finish. He went quiet for a while, battling foul trouble throughout the first half, but his presence in the paint on both ends of the floor was too much for Anamosa in the second half. He's a big, physical forward with soft hands and pretty good footwork on his post touches. He showed a little bit of range, knocking down a 12-footer, and he showed a little bit of court vision and passing out of the high post when Tipton went with a two-big lineup. He finished with 9 points and 6 rebounds in the Tigers win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Camron Pickard (Mid-Prairie)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5-9 guard was tremendous in the Golden Hawks' win over Camanche, scoring 29 points on 9-20 shooting (5-9 3P, 6-6 FT) with 5 assists and 3 steals. He moves really well without the ball in his hands and has a quick release off the catch. He routinely knocked down big shots to help keep the Storm at bay, scoring 19 second half points and knocking down all four of his fourth quarter free throws to help ice the game down the stretch. He showed that he can play with and without the ball in his hands, making plays for his teammates or torching the opponent from deep with his off-ball movement and shooting off the catch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Robert Paulsen (Bellevue)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West Branch simply had no answer for the 6-6 Paulsen, who scored a school record 44 points on 19-22 shooting while also going 6-7 from the free-throw line. It sounds odd to say considering he scored 44 points, but he really isn't asked to do that much on the offensive end - set hard screens, roll to the rim, and finish his opportunities. He finishes extremely well, with one of his three misses coming on a baseline jumper at the end of the first half, a ball that he caught with under a second left and just had to chuck up. His other two misses were both quickly nabbed as offensive rebounds and put right back in. He has great hands and soft touch around the rim, but his biggest value is actually probably on the defensive end, where he's an incredibly active and vocal defender. The Comets are able to play aggressively on the perimeter knowing that they have a rim protector like Paulsen sitting behind them, and that's part of what makes this Bellevue team such a dangerous group in 1A. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1469587' first='Jensen' last='Wedeking'] (Bellevue)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wedeking came into the Comets' game against West Branch as one of the state's leading scorers, averaging nearly 25 points a game. He attempted just four shots in their win, and it didn't matter whatsoever, because he was still outstanding. The 6-3 wing showed that he can be a high-level playmaker, dishing out 10 assists and showing really impressive court vision and passing instincts. With his size and athleticism, he is difficult to defend as a scorer, and when you add the playmaking aspect into his package, you've got a tremendous all-around offensive weapon who can kill you in a variety of ways. He provides some versatility on the defensive end as well, using his length and athleticism to fly all over the court, getting into passing lanes and turning defense into quick and easy offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1167686' first='Caden' last='Kirkman'] (WIlton)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The talented 6-8 forward had a quiet start for the Beavers in their game against Maquoketa - a combination of the Cardinals defensive game plan and a pair of charges that took buckets off the board. But even with a quiet start, Kirkman still finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in the loss to a good Maquoketa team. He's a fluid athlete who can handle it (he acts as the point guard often for the Beavers), a talented passer who sees the floor really well, and he has tremendous footwork and touch around the rim. Defensively he's an explosive athlete with good timing as a shot blocker and he's a good enough athlete that he can switch onto smaller ball-handlers and hold his own. Augustana is getting a good one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->