Battle in the 740: Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Battle in the 740 brought some top teams from southeast Ohio to play some teams from neighboring states and central Ohio teams as well. In this article we'll break down five standout performers from Saturday at the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1869632"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cpu003eThey needed to grind out a victory but Bishop Hartley found a way in overtime to leave Portsmouth with a victory and it took a balanced effort from their group to do so. I highlighted Calloway because defensively I thought he was exceptional all night. Able to pressure opposing guards into turnovers and use his quick but disciplined hands to strip the ball without fouling, Calloway is a guy opposing ball handlers need to be aware where he is at all times. One of the best passes on Saturday came on a drive when Calloway was going left and he made a quick slip pass with that off hand to a cutting forward for an open layup. As a scorer, Calloway can get to the rim and finish, including one acrobatic move in the second half. The jumper is the big question with Calloway, it's encouraging that he's confident enough to take perimeter shots to force the defense to respect it but his percentages need to improve for him to reach his ceiling.u003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1068243"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Maybe the most impressive performer of the day, Copas brought the strong North Adams crowd to their feet multiple times with absurd highlights. These highlights ranged from fallaway pull-up jumpers to no look dimes and killer crossovers. A point guard with an excellent pace and very skilled handle, Copas is one of the toughest guards in the state to speed up. When his pull-up jumper is falling, there's little a single defender can do and Bishop Hartley started sending two and three defenders at him. An old school game, Copas is incredibly comfortable in the 15-18 foot range moving in that area looking to score or dish to a teammate. Copas is an example of a senior who deserves some more attention from scholarship programs after the performance I watched on Saturday.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1480851"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Olentangy Liberty plays a great brand of basketball to watch with lots of passing and off ball movement but the man who works the entire offense is Kropp. One of the most skilled forwards in Ohio, Kropp has soft touch at the rim and his hands catch passes from a variety of angles into him in the post. Able to finish with either hand in the paint, Kropp is dangerous with his back to the basket because the defense can't take away just one side for him to go to. Defensively, Kropp also commanded the paint by rebounding misses and even took a charge. The cherry on top for his performance was a slam dunk with just over a minute to play that put Olentangy Liberty up 7 as they secure an impressive win over a talented Huntington (WV) squad.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1984821"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"After getting blown out against Olentangy Orange, I was curious how New Albany would respond on Saturday and they got an impressive victory against one of southeast Ohio's best teams in Minford. Jackson did a bit of everything for a balanced Eagles effort that saw five or six players make major contributions. An anticipatory defender, Jackson jumped a few passing lanes that led to easy transition layups. Able to attack off the bounce in the half-court, Jackson made a pull-up mid-range and a sidestep 3-pointer after a defender flew by him on a closeout. If Jackson can continue to consistently make 3-point shots and continue to impact the game defensively and with his passing ability, he'll be a breakout star in central Ohio this winter.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1833522"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"A 31 point game where he did everything to keep his team in the game, Lovely once again put on a show for South Point. An impressive athlete who can go from stop to start in an instant and blow by primary defenders, Lovely had the whole offensive arsenal going on Saturday evening. A dangerous pull-up shooter, Lovely had a stretch where it seemed like he couldn't miss in the third quarter making shots off the bounce and catch from mid-range and 3-point area. While he is a hard left attacker, Lovely uses his strength and balance to stay square with the rim even when defenders are able to stay with him off the bounce. His most impressive bucket of the game was when he went up with the left hand and switched mid-air to his right and finished through a shot blocker. One of the more naturally talented kids I've seen come from southeast Ohio over the past handful of years, if Lovely can consistently show that he's able to help his team win without scoring the basketball he should see a spike in recruiting interest.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65754a29bf345"} /-->