D1 St. J vs D1 Rice: A Finals Preview?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oh yes, this was the showdown we all anticipated. SJA threw a couple haymakers early on but Rice stayed the course and bounced back, riding [player_tooltip player_id='2312980' first='Drew' last='Bessette']'s career night as he pulled them out of the early hole. This game has a D1 walk-on in with Drew heading to UVM, a D2 offered and committed [player_tooltip player_id='1227861' first='Harry' last='Geng'] headed to St. Michael's, and plenty of other future college players. Tap into some of VT's best in this potential D1 Finals prequel. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rice Standouts:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2312980' first='Drew' last='Bessette'], 6'8 W/F - Rice Memorial H.S. Class of 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was one of those monster games that remind you why Drew is the top player in the VPA. Bessette's two-way game culminated in a huge 36-point, 15-rebound double-double. Drew kept Rice afloat in their early offensive struggles, knocking down a few threes early on in addition to numerous paint finishes off of smart duck-ins against St. J's zone. Bessette held it down defensively too with solid rim protection and a ton of rebounding. But I have to say, you could just feel that Drew was more aggressive in this one, particularly on the offensive end. He put up five 3s, a ton of paint points, dished a number of savvy dimes, and showed everyone why he's VT's premier player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2396778' first='Grant' last='Cieplicki'], 6'5 W/F - Rice Memorial H.S. Class of 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What I saw from Grant in this one was simple and smart two-way basketball. Cieplicki's work defensively was most critical as a help defender against St. J's two top dogs, rotating quickly to cover holes and force tough decisions. From there, Grant kept focus to rebound the rock at a good clip and secure possession. Offensively, he was up to his usual, giving Rice a clean 12-points. The decision making was crisp, making good reads consistently to either finish at the rim, hit the jumper, or feed teammates coming off their off-ball action. Just steady, smart hoop. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325800' first='Evan' last='Eaton'], 6'2 G - Rice Memorial H.S. Class of 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It took a little time to get comfortable with the matchup zone from St. J, but Eaton's adjustments landed just right. Evan's ball movement found teammates in little holes of the zone, putting them in nice position to collapse the defense and make a play. Yet he moved well off the rock too, finding open space to knock down a few 3s and get in the paint, putting up 14 on the night. I saw his defensive spark come alive in the second half, and he made nice impact to help slow down St. J's best scorers. Evan's offensive prowess came to the light in this one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2325846' first='Abdi' last='Sharif'], 6'4 G - Rice Memorial H.S. Class of 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've said this numerous times but it can't be mentioned enough, Abdi is a premier defensive player. Sharif's length and athleticism combine with his scrappiness to be an utter nuisance. He was in Geng's air space from the jump, nearly glued to his hip as he fought through screens, worked to cover cuts, and force tough shots in the halfcourt. Abdi bolstered the offense with numerous wise feeds for shooters and post flashers, as well as seven points off of his crafty finishing inside. A steady player with great instincts on both ends. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Johnsbury Standouts:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2396750' first='Rex' last='Hauser'], 6'5 W - St. Johnsbury Academy Class of 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Phew, talk about a hot start. Hauser was all over it from the jump, knocking down a pull-up 3 to start the game then forcing a steal and a transition two-hand jam not long thereafter. Rex's 23-points came off of his transition attack and knockdown shooting from deep, mostly off the bounce against a lengthy Rice squad. That being said, he impacted the game far beyond scoring. Hauser had numerous steals, tons of tipped passes, and likely double-digit boards. Rex had his fingerprints all over this one and was the catalyst for St. J. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1227861' first='Harry' last='Geng'], 6'2 G - St. Johnsbury Academy Class of 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Harry can have the defense draped all over him and still go for 27, unreal. The St. Michael's commit faced denial defense for much of the game, but he delivered with savvy off-ball work, transition buckets, and quick reads with the ball in his hands. Harry's ability to find open space with his cutting and off screens gave him enough air space to get his jumper going from deep. Plus, Geng caused some disruption with his length and tight rotations defensively, and you add in his transition finishing off of turnovers and he gets hot in a hurry. An offensive juggernaut with great defensive instincts. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->