Playoff Stockrisers: Part II

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No time is more frenetic and hyped as Sub-State Monday. Who asserted their will on the massive moment?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="has-text-align-center">[player_tooltip player_id='1262831' first='Thomas' last='Paul'] (White County)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1262831' first='Thomas' last='Paul'] </strong>(White County) scored 7 of his team's first 12 points to hop out ahead of a feisty, jet-quick Austin-East team. His aggression continued throughout the game. Paul's attacking helped the Spartans keep the Roadrunners honest. Austin-East played the passing lanes and tried to make contact with the on-ball defense. By putting a dribble down, Paul eroded that pressure. TP converted massive buckets in the second half too and he was alive on the glass when rebounding. Paul averages 14.5 points per game over the course of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="has-text-align-center">[player_tooltip player_id='1548922' first='Eli' last='Gaines'] (Chattanooga Prep)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eli was evaluated during the June 2022 PrepHoopsTN Combine. Read his <a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/08/prephoopstn-summer-combine-evaluations-part-xi-2/">evaluation here</a>. In the intervening 18+ months, Eli grew both taller and more skilled. His shooting touch was his redeeming skill before. Now, Eli is more comfortable on the ball. Maybe one day he will mature into a point guard. That is not required for him though, as the sophomore is not taller and more filled out physically. He can endure some fouls and still finish an and-1. Dependable free throw shooter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="has-text-align-center">[player_tooltip player_id='1273550' first='Shane' last='Cherry'] (Austin-East)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1273550' first='Shane' last='Cherry'] </strong>(Austin-East) played with incredible acrobatics in a hostile environment, helping his Roadrunners hang around in the opening quarter. He made one layup that looked like he jumped 3' off of the floor, and then completely scooped underneath for an unstoppable shot. Early in the second quarter Shane poked ordinarily sure-handed [player_tooltip player_id='2448254' first='Tripp' last='Pinion'] free and poked the pill by himself. Timeout White County!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/AndrewForce8/status/1632911966879481859?s=20","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/AndrewForce8/status/1632911966879481859?s=20 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="has-text-align-center">[player_tooltip player_id='1262822' first='Jakeb' last='Davis'] (White County)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1262822' first='Jakeb' last='Davis']</strong> comfortably scores and comfortably scored Monday night, but his truly deepest contribution came on the other end. Jakeb spent approximately half of the night checking the quickest guard in America, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1273550' first='Shane' last='Cherry']</strong>. Cherry handles like he invented And-1, crossing like Iverson, leaping like Nate Robinson. Defending him is impossible and yet Jakeb worked on it. Worked on it constantly. Sure, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2448254' first='Tripp' last='Pinion']</strong> devoted some possessions to the same mission, but Jakeb stands taller with a higher center of gravity. This made it even more challenging to get low and lateral defending Cherry. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="has-text-align-center">[player_tooltip player_id='1277274' first='Eli' last='Reagan'] (Pickett County)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Solid catch-and-shoot guy. Eli was needed by Pickett County after the graduate of the Amonett twins. Alongside [player_tooltip player_id='1273545' first='Jacob' last='Amonett'], Reagan scored in bunches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="has-text-align-center">[player_tooltip player_id='1262847' first='Marquez' last='Taylor'] (McKenzie)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The powerful, springy guard<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1262847' first='Marquez' last='Taylor']</strong> created constant problems for Moore County. The baby blue Moore County Raiders lacked a physical match for Taylor. He exploded off of the ground when he did miss with an insanely quick second-leap. One concern with Taylor's play Monday were his missed layups. The Rebels extended their pressure to fullcourt often and Taylor was the tip of the spear.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="has-text-align-center">[player_tooltip player_id='1838354' first='Alex' last='Copeland'] (Moore County)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was night a strong night for Moore County, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1838354' first='Alex' last='Copeland']</strong> was not great. He looks like a competent small college guard with a strong summer of skill development because he plays with strong shoulders and an impressive amount of poise. Needs quicker lateral mobility for defensive assignments.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"textAlign":"center"} --> <h2 class="has-text-align-center">[player_tooltip player_id='2448254' first='Tripp' last='Pinion'] (White County)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The lone sophomore WCHS starter, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2448254' first='Tripp' last='Pinion']</strong> made a game-winning shot in the final five seconds. The riveting, State Tournament-clenching scoop proved to be the culmination of a strong playoff performance. Pinion shared the significant burden of checking elite point guard Cherry with [player_tooltip player_id='1262822' first='Jakeb' last='Davis'] to moderate success. Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment by Pinion was his ball-handling and penetrating without turning the ball over. Austin-East played him, and all of the Warrior guards, with incredibly disruptive hands and blazing feet. Pinion managed staggeringly well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Austin-East</span><br>#2 [player_tooltip player_id='1836461' first='Tyric' last='Jones']*<br>#3 Decorriyan Brown<br>#5 [player_tooltip player_id='1273550' first='Shane' last='Cherry']* (2025)<br>LeSaud Holloway* (2023) 6'3"<br>#15 [player_tooltip player_id='2352726' first='Juwaan' last='Troutman']*<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1642545' first='Zeus' last='Sanders']*<br>#33 Ryan Seagraves</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">White County</span><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1262822' first='Jakeb' last='Davis']*<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1261285' first='Japheth' last='Richmond']*<br>[player_tooltip player_id='1262831' first='Thomas' last='Paul']*<br>Thomas Brock*<br>[player_tooltip player_id='2448254' first='Tripp' last='Pinion']*</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->