Impressive Centennial League Performances of Early December

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are some rebuilds and some growing pains being felt in the Centennial League in the early going. But there are plenty of players to be impressed with so far this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are a few standouts from the proud, historic conference (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2321612' first='Jackson' last='Austin']</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2025 Junction City:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That Junction City is good is never a surprise. But the Blue Jays' 5-0 start has caught the attention of everyone. Several different guys have stepped up to lead this balanced team. Austin has been consistently good and deserves mention as a team leader. He's been in double figures regularly, including 17 in the team's most recent hard-fought win over Topeka West. He stretches defenses and hits multiple 3's per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2169833' first='Kaden' last='Ballard'], 5-foot-11 guard, 2025, Washburn Rural:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's been a rough go for the Junior Blues so far this year. They are without some of the pieces they hoped to have, which is putting undue pressure on the healthy guys available. Ballard is a high-IQ combo guard who can make a ton of plays off the bounce, as well as shoot the lights out. He's been one of the few bright spots so far this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cooper Colbach</strong>, 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, Hayden:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was a changing of the guard at Hayden. That makes the Wildcats' 3-1 start all the more impressive. Colbach is shocking people with his play out of the gate this year. He's a big, strong guard who lights it up from deep. After a big showing in the Wildcat's season-opening tournament, Colbach struck for 14 in a thrilling win over Bishop Ward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Asher Newcomer</strong>, 6-foot-3 forward, 2024, Manhattan:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Indians have a lot of veterans, but they went into the season still searching for their “go-to” leader. Newcomer has really risen to the fore as a senior. He's a long wing who can really fill it up from deep and in the midrange. In a recent game against Topeka High, Newcomer hit all six of his shots, including four from behind the arc. He scored 18 in a win over Dodge City.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1290136' first='River' last='Peters'], 6-foot-3 guard, 2025, Emporia:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peters has been a key member of the Spartans the last two seasons. It feels like now is the time he is stepping into the “go-to” role. He's scored 20 or more in all but one of the Spartans' games, with a high of 24 in win over Spring Hill. He's getting to the line a ton, and he strokes over 70% once he gets there. This guy is showing off his athleticism with some highlight dunks too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Miguel Villegas</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2024, Topeka High:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Topeka High lacks size, but it has a few weapons that make its offense diverse. The wild card is Villegas, a shooter who was just waiting for his opportunity to get enough minutes to show his skills. He flashed during the summer that he was ready to impact games. It all came together Friday when he blew up for 25 to lead the Trojans to an impressive win over Bonner Springs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->