Kentucky Sweet 16: Wednesday Afternoon Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Kentucky sweet 16 is underway with games from Wednesday to Saturday as we go from 16 teams to one state champion. The week tipped off with a battle between Perry County Central and Magoffin County followed by Lyon County Vs Ashland Blazer. In this article I'll break down the standout performers from the afternoon in Rupp Arena.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["939117"],"_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":"For a couple minutes in the fourth quarter, it looked likely that Perry's high school career would come to an end on Wednesday. That's when Lyon County turned up the pressure and turned Ashland Blazer over to get easy looks. It all came from Perry and [player_tooltip player_id='1543608' first='Bray' last='Kirk'] in the full court press. Thanks to active hands and good hustle, Perry created easy looks for himself and teammates. Down one point late, Perry hit a sweet pull-up jumper to put his team up 1. This momentum started when Perry hit a circus shot at the third quarter buzzer to trim the deficit to just four heading into the final frame. Combine these plays with strong off ball movement to get easy looks and Perry showed why he's one of the top guards in the Midwest.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1088820"],"_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":"Recently decommitted from UT Martin, Shoulders now becomes one of the recruiting priorities to watch this weekend among available 2024 prospects. Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast are the first programs to reoffer Shoulders since the decommittment announcement. I was impressed with the physicality Shoulders played with in the paint. Getting a couple buckets off quick turn and pivots, Shoulders created some easy looks in the paint. The gameplan for Ashland Blazer seemed to be to leave shoulders open early from 3 and after missing a couple open ones in the first quarter, a big 3-pointer on the wing in the second made Ashland Blazer respect his 3-point shot as well. Another area of the game where Shoulders made a big impact was as a passer. With good vision and patience, Shoulders made some passes through tight angles for easy looks.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1089524"],"_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":"Leaving it all on the floor, I was really impressed with the effort from Carter and the rest of the Ashland Blazer squad. Despite not scoring a ton of points, Carter's impact was impossible to miss. A strong guard, Carter was in the mix with loose balls and rebounds all game. Combine that with a couple sweet hang in the air passes to teammates for easy looks, Carter had his fingerprints all over this one. Exactly the type of game Liberty is looking for, Carter should continue to impact the game in a variety of ways at the college level.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1287889"],"_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":"When talking Magoffin County, the discussion always starts with [player_tooltip player_id='1228477' first='Aden' last='Barnett']. The senior was terrific in the fourth quarter to push his team to the next round with some key defensive plays, rebounds and free throws. I wanted to highlight Whitaker because his extra effort on the offensive glass were key turning points in the game. With 13 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, Whitaker stuffed the stat sheet in the win. Magoffin County's magical March run continues for at least one more game.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["2358114"],"_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":"A disappointing end to the season for Perry County Central, they had a nice run to make it to Rupp and win the regional championship. I was impressed with the scoring ability of Woods. A kid who could create for himself off the bounce, Woods had some nice crossovers and hesitation moves to create space. A sweet reverse layup in transition was maybe the highlight of the game. Woods struggled a little from the outside but got to his spots and played with confidence on the perimeter. Getting stronger and impacting the game without the ball in his hands will be keys as Woods prepares for his senior season. A name to watch from eastern Kentucky's 2025 class!","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65fb4422621db"} /-->