Opening Night Senior Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1171659' first='Owen' last='Larson'] (Estherville Lincoln Central) -- 34 points (13-20 FG, 1-6 3P, 7-9 FT), 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Midgets opened their season with a win over 3A #9 Algona, and Larson was dominant on both ends of the floor, as expected. A versatile scorer who can score from all three levels, Larson's shot wasn't falling from deep last night, so he looked to attack, getting to the rim and the free-throw line frequently. ELC is a team that lacks size, so his 14 rebounds were a welcome sight for this group, as were the seven helpers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1945653' first='Hayden' last='Wilmes'] (Winterset) -- 30 points (11-16 FG, 6-8 3P, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilmes has firmly established himself as one of the best pure shooters in the state, and he showed that again last night, going 6-8 from behind the arc in the Huskies' blowout win over Creston. He has a lightning-quick release off the catch and moves really well without the ball in his hands. His five assists were a testament to his style of play as well, keeping the ball moving and finding an open teammate when that quick trigger is covered. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325569' first='Hudson' last='Wilmes'] (Winterset) -- 22 points (9-12 FG, 4-6 3P, 0-1 FT), 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hayden's twin brother Hudson also had a big night in the Huskies' win, scoring 22 points on his own in a highly efficient manner. Like Hayden, Hudson has a quick release and unlimited range, as evidenced by his four made 3-pointers. The Wilmes brothers will be a really tough duo for opposing teams to defend in the RRC this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Ashton Giza (Clarke) -- 29 points (10-15 FG, 9-14 3P), 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 block</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a night from Giza, a 5-11 off-ball guard. Appearing in 21 games last season, Giza scored 102 points (4.9 a game) and knocked down 26 3-pointers at a 25% clip. Safe to say that he improved a bit during the offseason? His nine made 3-pointers were a school record, and he only needed a half of basketball to do so. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Logan Jahnke (Fremont-Mills) -- 28 points (10-20 FG, 7-13 3P, 1-2 FT), 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another player who stepped into a significantly larger role and thrived in their opener is Jahnke, who scored a total of 34 points last season in 15 games for the Knights. He nearly matched that total in one game this season, showing the ability to stretch the floor at a high clip as well as make a major impact on the defensive end of the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Beau Goodwin (Kingsley-Pierson) -- 26 points (8-12 FG, 3-4 3P, 7-10 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A powerful, athletic 6-4 forward, Goodwin was dominant in the Panthers' win over perennial power Newell-Fonda, scoring an efficient 26 points and getting to the free-throw line 10 times. He shot just 28% from the 3-point line last season, so while we certainly don't expect him to shoot 75% every night, if he's able to become a 35% 3-point shooter, he'll be a really dangerous offensive weapon for a K-P team that will be in a battle for the Western Valley crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325337' first='Cael' last='Miller'] (Estherville Lincoln Central) -- 25 points (11-18 FG, 1-5 3P, 2-5 FT), 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 assist, 1 block</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Outside of [player_tooltip player_id='1171659' first='Owen' last='Larson'], no other player on the ELC roster last season averaged more than 8.7 points a game last season (Miller). If the Midgets are going to be improved, they need someone to step up alongside Larson and become a secondary scoring threat. That could be Miller, who was able to get to the rim pretty routinely on Monday night against Algona.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1476978' first='Camden' last='Davis'] (Hudson) -- 24 points (8-15 FG, 1-5 3P, 7-8 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Expect a lot of stat lines that look like this from Davis this season, the focal point of a Hudson attack that is going to be deadly. Janesville simply had no answer for his ability to score around the bucket, both off of post-ups and off of dribble penetration. The skilled 6-4 combo forward makes it look easy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cade Behrens (Coon Rapids-Bayard) -- 22 points (8-15 FG, 3-9 3P, 3-4 FT), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Crusaders had a solid season-opening win over Audubon, 58-46, behind 22 points from the 6-2 senior. A majority of his shot attempts last season came from behind the arc, so him having a little more willingness to get to the rim is a good sign for a Coon Rapids team that could be dangerous. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->