5A Day One Players of the Game

The field at the 5A tournament was narrowed Thursday with three games producing what was presumed to be the favorites. One game, the best of the day, sent Andover to the semifinals and valiant Maize South home as the clear best team to lose in the opening round.   #1 Highland Park defeated #8 Basehor-Linwood 60-49:   It tells you how good Highland Park is that they played a somewhat sloppy game, used pretty much everyone on their bench, and still controlled this game from start to finish. And that was with their best player, [player_tooltip player_id='1300865' first='Ketraleus' last='Aldridge'], scoring just 7 points. [player_tooltip player_id='1588346' first='Jacorey' last='Robinson'] had a great game, hitting 7-8 from the field and finishing with 17. The Scots' depth may help them stay fresh in a three-day event. The defense of their guards is stifling, and the quickness of the guards makes them really tough to pressure full court.   Player of the Game: [player_tooltip player_id='1080207' first='Tyson' last='Ruud'], 6-foot-6 forward, 2023, Basehor-Linwood:   Ruud hit 9-17 from the field. If he could have connected on a couple more 3-pointers, the Bobcats might have had a chance. But that's not to take anything away from the Basehor senior's performance. He gave his all on defense to disrupt the Scots' flow and protect the rim. He crashed the glass. And he put on a display of his dunking talents with a variety of slams. He finished his career with 22 points and a lot of new fans.   # 4 Andover defeated #5 Maize South 49-46:   The best game of the day was an emotional effort by both teams. It was sad either had to lose. [player_tooltip player_id='1080185' first='BJ' last='Redic'] (pictured) and [player_tooltip player_id='1408578' first='Devon' last='Neal-McFarthing'] both merit a lot of credit for their efforts in the paint. Both were an important presence in the paint. Redic had a couple of really impressive blocked shots, and Neal-McFarthing scored some important buckets and had 3 assists. The Maverick guards were quick and gritty, and [player_tooltip player_id='1378442' first='Tory' last='Homan'] was intense in the lane. Maize South returns enough players to be a team to watch next year.   Player of the Game: [player_tooltip player_id='1080189' first='Eli' last='Shetlar'], 6-foot-5 guard, 2023, Andover:   As mentioned above, there were some other guys who turned in really important efforts for the Trojans. But you can't overlook Shetlar's 15 points and 12 boards. He hit some big shots and came through with some clutch free throws.   #2 Kapaun Mt. Carmel defeated Blue Valley Southwest 58-48:   The game probably was won by Kapaun's intense defense of the Timberwolves on the perimeter. Blue Valley Southwest just couldn't get into their offense. The Timberwolves need production from their slashing guards, and couldn't get it. Despite the valiant efforts of Blue Valley Southwest, the Crusaders totally controlled this game. Kapaun senior Max Keller was a playmaker, and fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='1080159' first='Will' last='Anciaux'] was a powerful presence.   Player of the Game: [player_tooltip player_id='1270287' first='Will' last='Thengvall'], 6-foot-4 forward, 2024, Kapaun:   Thengvall displayed a ton of ability handling the ball and pushing it from end to end at high speed. He repeatedly put it on the floor to get to the goal in transition and in the half-court set. With his handle, size and physicality, he can get around, over or through a defender. He defended on the perimeter and in the paint and rebounded. He put himself in the conversation with Aldridge, Ruud and Shetlar as best player at the tournament.   #3 Hutchinson defeated #6 Pittsburg 84-51:   Despite [player_tooltip player_id='1270296' first='Mason' last='English']'s best efforts, Pittsburg just didn't have the tools to hang with Hutchinson. The Salthawks' guards defended English every step, and they had the quickness to frustrate and limit him. Hutchinson harassed Pittsburg into 24 turnovers. Dautnay King and [player_tooltip player_id='1772982' first='Terrell' last='King'] attacked the Pittsburg defense and combined for 21 points. Senior leader [player_tooltip player_id='1080175' first='Garrett' last='Robertson'] connected on some big 3s to establish the Hutchinson lead. He finished with 17 points. Junior Julian Smith was huge, and will be discussed in a separate Prep Hoops article.   Player of the Game: [player_tooltip player_id='1270296' first='Mason' last='English'], 6-foot-2 guard, 2024, Pittsburg:   English is the Player of the Game in a losing effort because all eyes were on him. Everyone in the crowd was anxious to see how he would perform against an elite team on the big stage. And every eye of the Salthawks' defenders were on his every move. Hutchinson did everything it could to limit the Pittsburg junior. English did his best to feed teammates the ball with a chance to score. He tallied 5 assists and made several other passes that either helped lead to scores or were not converted by his teammates. English got 22 points and 9 rebounds despite the entire focus of the defense.

The field at the 5A tournament was narrowed Thursday with three games producing what was presumed to be the favorites. One game, the best of the day, sent Andover to the semifinals and valiant Maize South home as the clear best team to lose in the opening round.