Arch Madness: Scotty B's Saturday Notebook

Saturday was the opening day of the final event of the Prep Hoops Circuit season as we were in St. Louis for Arch Madness.  Here we break down the action from Saturday in Arch Madness: Scotty B's Saturday Notebook!   [program_tooltip program_id='2075532' first='Illinois' last='Bears'] 17U Goes 2-1 With Strong Group of Prospects   One of the most talented teams with prospects at this event is the [program_tooltip program_id='2075532' first='Illinois' last='Bears'] 17U squad.  All seven guys they brought will play at the college level a year from now.  On the day they went 2-1 with wins over Chippewa Valley Select and the Illinois Mavericks while falling to Clutch Elite.  Mascoutah 2025 combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2406142' first='Jayden' last=''] McCoo had a big day.  Throughout the three contests the athletic guard was in attack mode with his burst getting to the rack and making plays defensively.  Also shot it well for a really consistent day.  East St. Louis small forward [player_tooltip player_id='1766471' first='Arlandis' last='Brown'] is probably the highest ceiling prospect of the group.  Super athletic wing that can really shoot the basketball which he did at a high level along with scoring in transition.  The other bouncy forward on this squad is Carmi's [player_tooltip player_id='1766507' first='Mitchel' last='Edwards'] who threw down some big jams along with stretching the floor from his power forward spot.  With the value on bigs who are athletic and can shoot Edwards will see his recruitment continue to pick up.  Trenton Wesclin shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1548328' first='Chandler' last='Mueller'] is one of the better pure catch and shoot guys in southern Illinois and he showed out in St. Louis raining in threes all day long with his quick and consistent release.  Up front Okawville's [player_tooltip player_id='2105204' first='Aidan' last='Anderson'] and Marion's [player_tooltip player_id='1766476' first='Race' last='Hickey'] manned the paint.  Anderson had some nice post moves carving out space, passing well, and even shot it a little facing up.  Hickey is an excellent rebounder and brings major value as a shot blocker.  In our first look at Pinckneyville's [player_tooltip player_id='2389565' first='Riley' last=''] Bauersachs he made an impression as a 6'5” combo forward with skill that can shoot from three, handle a little, and had an overall solid skill set.   Illinois Mavericks Backcourt Has Pair to Track in 2026   We have been impressed with Illinois Warriors wing [player_tooltip player_id='2407868' first='Tyler' last='Oakley'] from Charleston this spring and summer.  He had another solid outing with 12 points banging in an array of threes as the 6'3” wing brings good size and strength at the two guard spot with a plus jumper.  A new name that emerged was Marshall 6'1” guard Payton Mcguire who was lights out from three as he made six of them in a 20 point outing!  Was automatic every time it left his hands!   [program_tooltip program_id='2244352' first='Dangerous' last='Alliance'] Tops Illinois Orange 17U Behind Versatile Forwards   This was a battle between two teams that have had strong showings on the PHC with [program_tooltip program_id='2244352' first='Dangerous' last='Alliance'] defeating Illinois Orange 64-56.  In the first half it was all about [player_tooltip player_id='2383033' first='Kain' last='Eivins'] as the skilled 6'3” strong bodied forward sliced up the defense for euro steps and an array of layups with his creative ball handling.  Rebounds it well and plays light on his feet notching 13 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='1887578' first='Jacob' last='Aydelott'] was big for the St. Louis squad as he is a rangy wing that has excellent all around skill.  He can shoot it from three, handles with fluidity, and is a sound passer.  Notched 14 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='2357753' first='Gavin' last='Kimberlin'] is a bouncy small forward with some projectability.  He has a long and lanky frame with quickness to the glass and can deck it going for 11 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='1585279' first='Carson' last='Blesener'] is a sharp shooter to watch out of the STL this season as the point guard can really knock down shots.   Illinois Orange got a strong game from Belleville Althoff point guard Bryden Grzymala.  The nifty handling lead guard was shifty off the bounce that can really shoot it from mid-range along with stretching to three on occasion.  Makes some difficult layups as well scoring 17 points in the loss.  The star all summer for Illinois Orange has been Belleville East combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='2452426' first='Jalen' last='Dawson'].  He is a physical combo guard that plays with a super high motor.  Gets downhill with force playing bully ball and is a great rebounder for his size.  He had 13 points.   Clutch Elite Guard Trio Posts Strong Game Knocking off [program_tooltip program_id='2075532' first='Illinois' last='Bears']   Clutch Elite came back to defeat the [program_tooltip program_id='2075532' first='Illinois' last='Bears'] 77-71.  It was all about their trio of guards.  Kelton Brown was great in the win as he was relentless on the defensive end getting steals and taking them the other way for scores.  Most of his points came at the rim with slick drives making very difficult shots while scoring 21 points in the win.  Jay Rankins stepped up big for his squad in OT making big play after big play.  Long and rangy guard that has a nice shooting stroke, good athleticism, and projectability notched 15 points.  Caleb Mathis is a strong bodied bully at the point guard spot that loves to use his strength getting straight downhill for buckets.  The squad from Mississippi definitely impressed.   Blackford Drops 39 Points in Frontline Win over Hoop Dreams   The performance of the day was from Calvary Academy 2026 shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='1552407' first='Luke' last='Blackford'] as he scored 39 points leading his Frontline squad to a 95-75 win over Hoop Dreams.  We have seen Blackford throughout his career and scoring is definitely what he does best.  He is a plus shooter from three and he did manage a trio of them in this one with his clean stroke, but it was more than that.  He is a crafty two guard that understands how to use his strength to his advantage scoring against different defenders.  Had a ton of transition buckets along with layups in the win for his team.  [player_tooltip player_id='2492520' first='Elijah' last='Wade'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2492529' first='Noah' last='Wade'] of Springfield are a pair of 2026 twins that should make noise this season.  At 6'3” they have solid positional size and versatility.  Elijah is a bit more advanced at this stage as a scorer.  Smooth putting it on the deck and using his bounce in the paint to score 16 points.  Noah was effective getting on the glass for put backs racking up 9 points.   On the other side for Hoop Dreams we came away most intrigued long term with 6'6” post [player_tooltip player_id='2505436' first='Mesiyah' last='Ashley'].  Great frame and length.  Plus athleticism being able to play above the rim, block shots, and got to the line where he made his free throws for 11 points.  [player_tooltip player_id='1874991' first='Perry' last='Dorris Jr'] had 15 points in the loss.  Strong bully ball guard that loves to go right at the defense with his physicality scoring or getting to the line.  [player_tooltip player_id='1874962' first='Dahir' last='Abdullahi'] is another guard that had a big day with his slick passing and acrobatic scoring at the cup while flashing as a shooter netting 16 points.   Boyd Puts Name on Map Moving to Illinois from Texas for Illinois Orange 16U   Next up we saw Illinois Orange 16U take down Life League Gray 66-49. A name we have been hearing some buzz about is 6'3” wing [player_tooltip player_id='2507312' first='Dominic' last='Boyd'] who moved to Edwardsville from Texas for his junior campaign. Broad shouldered wing that did most of his damage in the lane, on the glass, and with a nice mid-range jumper finishing with 16 points. Freeburg big man [player_tooltip player_id='2499794' first='Oren' last='Byman'] has a huge frame at 6'7” with soft hands around the cup. Rebounds well in his area and is a decent shot blocker. Kaleb Turney from Metro East Lutheran flashed with his athleticism as a two way wing as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='2423610' first='Milan' last='Kyles'] has a massive game for Life League dropping 18 points in the loss.  This attacking guard from McCluer can really get buckets in the open floor and putting pressure on the rim.   Chippewa Valley Select Wing 2025 Glaus Drops 30 Points   Chippewa Valley Select fell to the Bears, but they had a couple of players leave impressions on us beginning with [player_tooltip player_id='2395592' first='Lucas' last='Glaus'].  The shooting guard scored 30 points hitting three after three.  Plus shot maker that can also create off the bounce and use his strength and acrobatics to finish in the paint.  [player_tooltip player_id='2398713' first='Dane' last='Bates'] is a 6'9” five man that showed promise as well.  Strength is probably his shot blocking with how well he protects the rim while finishing in the pick and roll along with passing pretty well.

Saturday was the opening day of the final event of the Prep Hoops Circuit season as we were in St. Louis for Arch Madness. Here we break down the action from Saturday in Arch Madness: Scotty B's Saturday Notebook!