Under the Radar District Championship Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Missouri had its Magical Stream Machine working overtime as we were able to watch a half of dozen district championship games from Class 1-3 on Friday night. We concentrated on looking at teams and players who are somewhat under the radar this season. Here is a look at some of those players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1598840' first='Johnny' last='Brice'] (Steelville): A 6'2" 2023 guard who did a little of everything in the Cardinals' big victory over Dixon in the Class 3, District 9 championship game at Dixon. He plays in constant motion, whether he was driving to the basket or moving without the ball on sharp cuts. He was also knocking down jumpers off the catch. On defense, he created turnovers with his anticipation and turned steals into transition layups. He really got the Cardinals off and running with eight first quarter points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1374575' first='Matthew' last='Weber'] (North Callaway): A 6'0" 2023 guard who scored a game-high 20 points in NC's 55-50 victory over Hermann in the Class 3, District 7 championship game at South Callaway. He is a very talented offensive player who displayed some championship moxie in the second half when he scored 18 of those 20 points. He can create off the dribble, hit the deep ball and get himself to the free throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Chasten Horton (West County): The 6'5" 2023 forward was big in the West County's 61-60 victory over Jefferson in the Class 3, District 3 championship game at Arcadia Valley. He was a one-man wrecking crew inside in the third quarter as his size and athleticism were on full display. He was posting up strong and finishing with authority around the basket. He was also controlling the boards at both ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Christian Ledsworth (Lone Jack): A 6'2" 2023 guard who helped Lone Jack to a 48-44 victory over Adrian in the Class 3, District 13 championship game at Butler. He is a high-energy player who was very disruptive on the defensive. He has length and a good sense of timing to pick the pockets of opposing ball handlers. He is also an effective slasher with a good pull up jumper in the lane. He sealed the game with two free throws in the closing seconds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Colin Kramer (Adrian): A 6'1" 2024 guard who is a creative bucket-getter with a scorer's mentality. He is capable of getting his own shot off the dribble and his range extends to well beyond the 3-point line. He also had some twisting drives in the lane with a high degree of difficulty, but he made them look pretty easy. He was really strong in the third quarter when he scored 12 points in a variety of ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>C.J. Johnson (Jefferson): A 6'0" 2024 guard who was one of the more impressive perimeters shooters that I watched on Friday night at Arcadia Valley. In the portion of the game that I watched, he was up to six 3-pointers, which included four in the first half. He moved well without the basketball and he had a quick release when he caught it. He was definitely shot ready.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Carson Mullen (Steelville): A 6'3" 2024 forward who was a force inside in the Cardinals victory over Dixon in the Class 3, District 9 championship game at Dixon. He operated along the baseline very well as he scored on some strong finishes. He went to the basket with strength and conviction and delivered very well in the paint as well as his rebounding.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mason Rusow (Adrian): A 6'4" 2024 forward who is an impressive athlete and he played with an active motor. He rebounds very well and he showcased his athleticism with a couple of nice blocks. The young lefty scored on a couple of nice off-balance finishes in the lane and he was comfortable taking the elbow jumper.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nate Breeze (Jefferson): A 6'3" 2024 guard who is a potent offensive player with a nice overall floor game to boot. He scored on some smooth drives to the basket and he could knock down the open 3-pointer off of his good movement. He is also a capable ball handler and playmaker who could drop the time to an open teammate and also get the hockey assist.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2546182' first='Justice' last='Allen'] (Eugene): A 5'10" 2025 guard who is part of a young and talented Eugene group that overwhelmed Crocker in the Class 2, District 9 championship game at Richland. His utilized his speed and quickness well with his dribble penetration and ability to drop off a nice dime to an open teammate. He was active in his team's swarming pressure defense on the front line and he could also hit the open 3-pointer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->