Panther Showcase: Saturday Notebook

Prep Hoops spent the day on Saturday at historic Pinckneyville High School for their shootout.  We took in six games with a ton of prospects from all over southern Illinois along with Moline from the Quad Cities and Desmet from St. Louis.  Check out our initial thoughts on the event in Panther Showcase Notebook!   Guards Dazzle as Greenville Tops Sparta   The first game we saw was a fun one!  Found a couple of new intriguing guards as Greenville jumped out early and never looked back winning 54-38.  They were led in a major way by their senior 6'1” guard [player_tooltip player_id='2374512' first='Kaleb' last='Gardner'] who was phenomenal in the first half netting 20 of his game high 28 points in the first two quarters.  The guard can really let it fly from three along with mixing in drives off the bounce for scores in the paint showing burst.  Small colleges and JUCOs get in on this guard.  Got some help inside from 6'3” senior Nick Grull and 6'3” junior Cale Ackerman.  Grull brought toughness on the interior rebounding well and finishing junk points for 8 points.  Ackerman has a long and rangy frame and was able to notch 6 points inside.   For Sparta the breakout player was 2027 point guard Dariontez Monroe.  My first look at the southpaw and he was impressive scoring 13 points and recording numerous rebounds.  The 5'11” guard is crafty with the rock in his hands winning off the bounce and pushing in the open floor.  Darnell Smith had a spurt in the second half where he helped get his team back in the game as he netted 9 points scoring mostly in the paint from his guard spot at 6'2”.   Mascoutah Big 3 Roll to Win vs Carbondale Despite Payne's 26   Next up featured a pair of squads each with several ranked prospects.  Mascoutah's top three players were just too much as they prevailed 53-40 leading most of the game.  Mascoutah 2024 6'5” center Miles Ntekop is a wide bodied five that moves like a left tackle with his excellent footwork and positioning down low.  Finishes with both power and strength on the interior.  Good athlete that runs the for and blocked shots.  Rebounded well in area for 14 points and game MVP honors.  Class of 2025 backcourt duo [player_tooltip player_id='1838836' first='Jayden' last='McCoo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1470208' first='Corey' last='Harris'] were solid in this one as well.  McCoo is a long and rangy 6'1” lead guard that blows past defenders for scores in the paint and has a good passing feel notching 15 points.  Harris is a plus shooter at 5'11” that pushes in open floor as he had 9 points.   Carbondale was led as usual by their star [player_tooltip player_id='1619364' first='Decarl' last='Payne'].  Might be one of the most underrated bucket getters in the state.  Powerful and athletic two guard was a straight scoring machine as always going for 26 points scoring from all three levels.  Inside Henry Harsey provided some help on the glass and using his toughness inside for 8 points.  Their star freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='2323611' first='Jerrance' last='Howard'] got hurt early in the game on a layup attempt and never returned.   Triad's Balance Leads to Win over Waltonville   Triad had a good showing in their win against Waltonville 60-45.  Oklahoma State baseball commit [player_tooltip player_id='1766468' first='Drew' last='Winslow'] had it rolling with his ability to get downhill with his size and strength. Good slasher that can finish well through contact for multiple and-1s.  Scores in transition as he notched 15 points.  Junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2815741' first='Ethan' last='Stewart'] is a plus shooter at the point draining a trio from deep for 10 points.  Solid contribution as well from their freshman guard Brody Hasquin dropped 8 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='1552409' first='Gage' last='Peterson'] is a wing scorer in the sophomore class that played most of the game on the interior.  Rebounded pretty well.  Couple and-1s in the second half with one coming on a turnaround jumper on the baseline and another on a post up.  Finished with 14 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='2334406' first='Kyle' last='Cooper'] is a plus shooter to watch down the line as the 5'10” point guard racked up 14 points with tight handles and perimeter shot making.   Centralia Puts on Clinic vs Teutopolis   It was a complete blitz from the beginning of this one as Centralia got out early and never looked back defeating Teutopolis 58-24.  The Orphans were led by an MVP performance from 2025 big man [player_tooltip player_id='2217959' first='Dustyn' last='Collins'] who is coming off a breakout fall at the Prep Hoops Top 250 and Pure Sweat Camp where he went up against some of the top talent in the state and region.  Powerful and athletic 6'5” post is explosive on the glass and as a finisher.  Can also knock in mid-range jumpers as he did for 15 points.  Their backcourt ran Lee Bennett's system to perfection.  John A Logan baseball commit [player_tooltip player_id='1750716' first='Cruz' last='Harlan'] is a wizard with the ball making decisions hitting cutters and draining open shots.  He had 12 points in the win.  Athletic senior guard Daryle Jones is a wiry athlete at the guard spot that is slick scoring off the bounce dropping 10 points.  Keep an eye out for 2027 sharp shooter [player_tooltip player_id='2751229' first='Michael' last='Organ'].  The lefty at 6'0” has been making noise as a long-distance specialist and that was exactly what he did in this one as he made three of them for 9 points.   For Teutopolis Garrett Gaddis was the lone player in double figures with 10 points.  Lefty guard is a scrappy player that can hit an open shot.   Desmet Survives Moline Comeback Late to Win in OT   This was a super low scoring game in the first half.  Then it got a flow in the second half and was a really fun game down the stretch.  Desmet left the door opened and Moline tied it with a three at the buzzer to send the contest to OT.  Desmet made the key plays late to get the win 60-56. They were led by Riley Massey.  The junior 6'4” shooting guard had it working in the second half and OT scoring 19 of his game high 24 points after the half. Tough guard that can score from all three levels.  Crisp ball handler that got to the rack and scored off movement.  Junior Dillon Duff will play QB in college, but he is a good hooper too.  Strong wing that got on the glass and hit several big threes for 9 points.  Liked what we saw out of sophomore Jordan Boyd.  Physical lefty would rip it and take it downhill for scores racking up 11 points.   Moline got a big performance from 2025 power forward [player_tooltip player_id='1545132' first='Treyvon' last='Taylor'].  The big bodied four man got on the offensive glass early using his explosive second jump to get put backs.  Also hit a pair of threes including one to send it to OT. Good footwork around the hoop as he had 16 points.  Young team has three underclassmen guards to keep tabs on.  [player_tooltip player_id='2105429' first='Wood' last='Cary'] is a long and rangy sophomore guard with broad shoulders to add strength on long term.  Slick ball handler that wins on straight line takes, can hit an open shot, and has two way potential.  Finished with 7 points.  Pair of freshman that both started in the backcourt for this team in [player_tooltip player_id='2455383' first='Brady' last='Welch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2455389' first='Arthur' last='Abbey'].  Welch is a plus shooter with range out to three with ease hitting several for 8 points.  Abbey brings shifty ball handling to the table along with being able to hit open threes notching 6 points.   Pinckneyville Makes It Look Easy on Home Floor   In the final game of the night Pinckneyville got a massive first quarter from their standout junior [player_tooltip player_id='2321427' first='AJ' last='Keith'] along with a phenomenal defensive effort all around, but especially in the first half to beat a good Waterloo team 45-30.  It was never in doubt from early in the contest as Keith was spectacular in the opening quarter dropping 16 of his game high 18 points in the opening eight minutes.  Good athlete that can score from all three levels and that is exactly what he did draining threes, mid-range shots, and getting to the rack.  His running mate in the backcourt [player_tooltip player_id='2318240' first='Hunter' last='Smith'] is a steady ball handler that hits threes and has a toughness to him.  He had 10 points.  Football standout senior Karsen Konkel is an athletic post that played tough defense and offensively mixed it up for a put back and a score in the post for 6 points.  A sophomore to track is [player_tooltip player_id='2323278' first='Ty' last='Laur'].  The 2025 center stands at 6'6” with a frame and body type that screams he is going to continue to grow along with how tall his dad is.  Rebounds well in area, can hit a three, and is an excellent passer.  Competed defensively as well.   Waterloo's star [player_tooltip player_id='1766463' first='Alex' last='Stell'] didn't have the big game we saw earlier in the week on Tuesday, but there was still a ton to like here.  True five with legit size on the interior at 6'10”.  Instincts as a passer, spin move for short jumper, and got his hook shot to fall.  He was dominant on the defensive glass and swatted a number of shots finishing with 7 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks.  [player_tooltip player_id='2318244' first='Rodrigo' last='Lopez'] again continues to produce in our third viewing of Waterloo this year.  The under the radar big man had 11 points scoring on seals and hook shots.

Prep Hoops spent the day on Saturday at historic Pinckneyville High School for their shootout. We took in six games with a ton of prospects from all over southern Illinois along with Moline from the Quad Cities and Desmet from St. Louis. Check out our initial thoughts on the event in Panther Showcase Notebook!