Centralia Battle of the Borders – Player profiles

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caught a few games at the Centralia Battle of the Borders tournament Saturday morning. Here are a few of the standouts from the Saturday morning games. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1485589' first='Micah' last='Anderson'] - Roots Academy 16U </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1962809,"width":370,"height":492,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/IMG_20230520_115832264.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/IMG_20230520_115832264.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1962809" width="370" height="492" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Micah was impressive for Roots Academy. He showed great ability to get to the basket with tough drives. He has good athleticism and footwork once he gets into the paint and is able to finish at the rim. He has a great mid-range jumper and is smooth off the dribble. He consistently broke down the defense and made plays. He also hit a couple threes showing his ability to score on all levels. He finished with 17 points in the game I watched, most coming off dribble drives to the hoop. He is a high ceiling player in the class of 2025 and one of the best in the south sound area. He played an important role for North Thurston last season and will no doubt be counted on to get buckets next season. He appears ready to do so. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Karsen Denault - 6'4 - G - 2025 Napavine - PacXpress - Kelly 16U </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1962817,"width":374,"height":245,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/IMG_20230520_105518471-2-crop-1748x1148-1684615717.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/IMG_20230520_105518471-2-crop-1748x1148-1684615717.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1962817" width="374" height="245" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karsen had 30 points in the first game of the morning. He is an athlete who gets his points going to the rim hard. He rebounds extremely well and gets himself second chance opportunities. He is great in the open floor and can finish strong around the hoop with either hand. He made a couple threes but his bread and butter is going to the rim. A 1st team all league selection in the Central 2B as a sophomore will be a force next season in his junior year after averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds per game this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1450957' first='Braeden' last='Salme'] - Roots Academy 17U </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1962818,"width":388,"height":512,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/IMG_20230520_105120422.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/IMG_20230520_105120422.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1962818" width="388" height="512" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Point guard for Roots. He's great at attacking the basket whenever he sees the opportunity. Once he gets into the lane he is able to finish around the basket with some nice spin moves and floaters. He can burn you from three as well. He has always been a clutch type player, making shots when it counts. He'll enter next season as a four year starter for Adna and all league player each season. He is tough when he gets it going, and best when attacking.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1471162' first='Gage' last='Brumfield'] - PacXpress - Kelly 16U</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1962822,"width":381,"height":249,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/IMG_20230520_110152846-crop-2766x1817-1684616280.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/IMG_20230520_110152846-crop-2766x1817-1684616280.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1962822" width="381" height="249" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gage had a good day and was his team's best players in the second game vs Roots. Impressive athlete, he can get up and flush it going to the basket. He caught an alley oop jam on an out of bounds play. He made some tough shots with his mid range game, with a couple nice fade away jumpers in the lane. One of the best athletes in Southwest Washington, also a star wide receiver for the W.F. West football team. He is a highlight reel waiting to happen. He should up his game as the go to player for W.F. West next season. He is an all level scorer who excels at getting to the rim. He can also shoot it from three and that mid-range game looked great in the two games I watched in Centralia.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->