Small School SEMO Standout Forwards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Missouri had a chance to watch several small school standouts in the Southeast part of the state at the Bernie, Gideon and Oran Tournaments. Here is a look at some of those standout forwards that caught our eye when watching those tournament games via the Magical Stream Machine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dalton Forck (Kelly): A 6'5" 2024 forward who is a double-double machine for Kelly, who won the championship of the Oran Invitational Tournament. The big lefty can impact a game inside with his scoring, rebounding and shot blocking. He can catch from the mid-post area and make a strong move to the basket on the bounce. He can also lead the fast break after a rebound and throw a pinpoint pass in the transition game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2544946' first='Noah' last='Johnson'] (East Prairie): A 6'4" 2025 forward who helped East Prairie to the championship of the Gideon Tournament. He had his best game in the semifinals when he scored 30 points in a victory over Caruthersville. He is smooth offensive player who has a nice touch in the post and a smooth turnaround jumper on the baseline. He was also knocking down 3-pointers off the bounce.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reece Eftink (Kelly): A 6'0" forward who is rock solid at about 210 pounds and he uses his physical strength and his strong motor to be very effective around the basket. He is a good worker on the defensive end as he can guard in the low post or get steals on the second line of the press defense. He uses his body to create contact well in the paint and he makes good use of pump fakes to keep defenders off balance.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas Burch (Puxico): A 6'3" 2024 forward who helped lead the Indians to the championship of the Bernie Tournament. He had a solid shooting stroke from the perimeter. He could pop out and knock down the 3-pointer from the top of the key. He was also good from the corners. He was also very effective from the elbow as he could hit the jumper or drive it to the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2541260' first='Owen' last='Fortner'] (Risco): A 6'4" 2026 forward who I enjoyed watching work in the low post with his excellent moves and footwork. He was patient inside whenever he caught the ball and he displayed a nice up and under move and some excellent step-throughs in traffic to get a bucket. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Evan Kennedy (East Prairie): A 6'5" 2024 forward who is a big solid lefty in the low post. He is a big bumper inside who will seal his defender, catch it and score on the drop step with great effectiveness. He also held his position well to grab offensive rebounds. He is also a good passer who could find open cutters with a nice dime from the high post.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->