Sussex Hamilton-Verona Prospect Standouts

SUSSEX -- In Friday's Division 1 regional semifinal, 5-seed Sussex Hamilton survived a scare from 12-seed Verona, claiming a 79-77 victory at home.   [player_tooltip player_id='1366300' first='Cameron' last='Bratzke'] - 2023 - SF - Hamilton   The unsung hero from Friday's win. Whether it was a timely 3-pointer, a tough bucket around the rim, or a second-chance opportunity, Bratzke just kept showing up. One of the biggest question marks for Hamilton coming into this season was who would be the No. 2 to [player_tooltip player_id='953956' first='Luther' last='Smith']? Bratzke has quietly delivered 14 points per game for the Chargers as a senior. With so much attention going to Smith, Bratzke has found his niche of being a hard, relentless cutter off the ball and sticking his face in the fan for hustle plays on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-4, Bratzke is a good athlete and even sent a shot back with authority, meeting his opponent head-on at the rim. The Chargers don't have an overly big team, but Bratzke's presence on the floor allows them to get away with smaller lineups.   [player_tooltip player_id='1183682' first='Finley' last='Deischer'] - 2023 - G - Verona   Hamilton looked as if they were going to blow the game open about three or four times on Friday. Each time, Deischer had an answer, including a big 3-pointer to pull the Wildcats within two late. This game was a track meet early and you just thought eventually Verona wouldn't be able to keep up. Deischer was just matching the Chargers shot for shot at times in the first half as Verona would go into the locker room with a lead. Really smooth and decisive on the ball, Deischer is very good shooting pull ups while going to his left. You don't pick him up down the floor, he's comfortable launching before Verona even sets up their offense. Deischer finished with 18 points in Friday's loss.    [player_tooltip player_id='981039' first='Gavin' last='Farrell'] - 2023 - SG - Verona   Farrell just put it all on the line in his final game. The senior guard scored a team-high 29 points, including a key pull-up jumper in transition to get Verona within one late. Beyond the shot making, Farrell just competed his tail off. Moment never got too big for Farrell in a do-or-die setting. All game long, Farrell took what the defense gave him. Against poor close outs, he rose up and knocked down contested jumpers. When defenders tried to crowd him, Farrell used that 6-foot-3 frame to take a hard dribble or two to the rim and pull-up in the mid-range. In a hostile environment, not only did Farrell help get Verona confidence early, he just never went cold and made sure the Wildcats stuck around through the 36 minutes.    [player_tooltip player_id='953956' first='Luther' last='Smith'] - 2023 - G - Hamilton   Smith was held in check early. Being denied the ball and pushed out past the perimeter, Smith beat Verona with two backdoor layups to get himself going. From then, it was on. The senior guard poured in a game-high 33 points to help Hamilton push back an upset bid. It was an efficient 33 points too from Smith, who wasn't just out there chucking -- he was playing within himself. You don't put a hand up on Smith upon the catch, you're asking to give up three points. At 5-foot-10, Smith has a quick trigger and elevates very well on his shot. He's also steadily developed his ability to score in the paint and is very graceful when he gets to the rack, able to score with either hand. Love the off-balance shooting as well. What would be a terrible shot for most prospects, Smith gets the green light whenever he touches the rock. A division 1 offensive talent, Smith is still looking for a home next season. The way he can score the rock, I don't know if I see Smith falling to the D2 level. If he has to go prep or junior college, I think eventually the mid-major programs will come.

SUSSEX -- In Friday's Division 1 regional semifinal, 5-seed Sussex Hamilton survived a scare from 12-seed Verona, claiming a 79-77 victory at home.