Mike’s Saturday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday I caught the first two games of The Challenge at Africentric before heading to Westerville Central as they hosted Columbus DeSales. In this article I'll break down the standout performers from the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1581787"],"_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":"Worthington Kilbourne got a gritty win to open up the day and Gallogly was money from 3-point range to lead the way with 15 points in a low scoring contest. In the first quarter, Gallogly was aggressive with a mid-range jumper, a 3-pointer after setting a screen and then a 3-pointer after a defender went under a screen. The dagger shot also came from Gallogly when he knocked down a 3-pointer to put his team up nine with four minutes to play. Already committed to Denison, Gallogly continues the strong central Ohio recruiting that Denison has had over the past few years.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["2316113"],"_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":"Linden-McKinley has had a strong season in the Columbus City League and Towns made a lot of impressive plays to help them remain competitive in this tough non-conference battle. An undersized guard, Towns is quick and gets after it on the defensive end. Hitting a couple tough shots from the perimeter as well, Towns scoring allowed him to win game MVP alongside Gallogly postgame. My favorite plays from Towns were left handed outlet bounce passes on the fast break. Twice Towns got a loose ball and used a lefty push pass to feed a teammate down the court for a scoring opportunity. Towns is definitely capable of being a small college impact player due to his toughness, quickness and production.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1222352"],"_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":"After two early season losses, Hillard Bradley is locked in and playing as good as anybody in central Ohio right now. Up 25-2 after the first quarter, it was a dominant start to the game by Norris and the Jags. Knocking down a couple 3-pointers with a handful of assists, Norris had his fingerprints all over this one. The Illinois State commit is one of the most impactful players in the state and had some tough rebounds to continue to show how many ways he can impact the game.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["2140168"],"_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":"Missing the start to his freshman season, Mirgon seems to be hitting his stride and playing high level varsity basketball as a freshman. A big time shooter, Mirgon knocked down a couple spot-up 3-pointers with a quick trigger from 3-point range. I was most impressed with how comfortable Mirgon looked playing off the ball in the half-court. His most impressive move of the game was a euro-step in transition that left the defense in the dust. After producing at the 15 U level on the 3SSB circuit, this game seemed easy for Mirgon to dominate despite being just a freshman.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1432030"],"_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":"My performance of the day, Noles was everywhere for DeSales as they secured a huge road win over Westerville Central in a thrilling 51-50 victory. Noles scored in a variety of ways by getting to the basket and using his strength to finish off two feet. I was also impressed with how Noles went into contact and either got to the foul line or bounced off the defense to create space. The 3-point shot has always been inconsistent for Noles but he knocked down two huge ones in this game, showing signs of improvement in that aspect of his game. I expect Noles to be seen by scholarship programs across the region this spring and summer.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659a3285024c5"} /-->