Top Performers: O’Fallon vs East St. Louis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Southwestern Conference is always one of the most competitive in the state.&nbsp; Just look at all the D1 prospects and top teams it has produced over the last decade.&nbsp; Only comes second to the Chicago Public League.&nbsp; The crown was on the line Tuesday night as East St. Louis traveled to O'Fallon looking to avenge an earlier loss.&nbsp; It was close throughout, but O'Fallon held serve on their home floor taking the conference championship with a 51-45 victory.&nbsp; Read all about it in <strong>Top Performers: O'Fallon vs East St. Louis</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1476094' first='Koby' last='Wilmoth'] (O'Fallon – 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The transfer from Centralia was a prospect that when he made the move opened up the possibility of this happening and he played a huge role in the win.&nbsp; Wilmoth is a skilled face up four man that is very effective in the mid-range from 15-18 feet shooting the ball.&nbsp; He was on fire from his hot spot Tuesday night recording 14 points despite a hard fall and foul trouble.&nbsp; Solid rebounder and has mobility defensively.&nbsp; JUCOs and small colleges get in on this big man!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1215303' first='Jalen' last='Smith'] (O'Fallon – 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith is a Lindenwood football commit who is a key player for the hoops squad.&nbsp; Struggled early in the game at the free throw line, but played through it getting to the line more hitting key ones in the second half.&nbsp; Plays well in transition and slashing as he had 8 points plus outstanding defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1373443' first='Rini' last='Harris'] (O'Fallon – 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was probably the most complete game we have seen from Harris.&nbsp; Athletic and strong wing is a stat sheet stuffer that brings plus athleticism to the table.&nbsp; He finishes with acrobatics at the cup on straight line takes and in transition.&nbsp; Drained a pair of momentum threes back to back.&nbsp; Consistency in this will open up a lot of opportunities for him.&nbsp; Rebounds well, defends, and passes for a wing especially off the bounce.&nbsp; Went for 19 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157355' first='Jaeden' last='Rush'] (O'Fallon – 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rush is a flashy lead guard who had his moments.&nbsp; The lead guard had an out of control layup along with a three from the corner that he got the home bounce to fall.&nbsp; Slick ball handler that gets in the heart of the defense creating for others.&nbsp; He had 11 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='939073' first='Macaleab' last='Rich'] (East St. Louis – 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rich is a high-motor wing that is headed to Kansas State next season.&nbsp; He is such a physical and athletic prospect which was on display when he snatched a defensive rebound and went coast to coast for an and-1.&nbsp; Had a couple grown man takes off the bounce along with a power jump stop for a finish.&nbsp; In the loss Rich had 11 points and 7 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1537979' first='Antwan' last='Robinson'] (East St. Louis – 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cal State Fullerton commit didn't really get involved throughout the game on the offensive end.&nbsp; Never got loose for open threes and wasn't overly assertive finishing with 6 points.&nbsp; What we did like was what we saw defensively as he had a handful of blocks in both the half court and chase downs.&nbsp; Active hands on that end and rebounded very well all night with 6 points and 7 rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1750704' first='Davis' last='Bynum'] (East St. Louis – 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bynum opened our eyes even more with a strong performance.&nbsp; The 6'7” forward recently jumped in the rankings, but could continue to move up with upside.&nbsp; Very projectable prospect that threw down a nasty dunk, hit a spot up three from the corner, and had a sweeping layup on his way to 10 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dainen Rucker (East St. Louis – 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rucker had a solid game for the Flyers as he knocked in a pair from beyond the arc off the catch and had a sick dump off pass for a dime.&nbsp; Went for 8 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->