Battle at the Berkey: Saturday Standouts

The Battle at the Berkey is an event at Smithville High School that continues to grow in talent each year. In this article we'll break down the standouts from Saturday's action.    Committed to Walsh, Vlacovsky was one of the more higher profile prospects I had yet to be confident on an evaluation for as my only time watching him was one game last season. I got an excellent evaluation of Vlacovsky and the rest of Canton Central Catholic's squad as they took down previously unbeaten Margaretta in a statement victory. Vlacovsky plays the game at his own pace and is tough to guard off the bounce with his ability to rip through and get low off the bounce. An elite shooter off the catch, Vlacovsky made some tough shots from the outside. Canton Central Catholic has a chance to make a lot of noise in Division V with Vlacovsky leading the charge.     A career-high 24 points for Miller as he was efficient from the floor making shots off the catch for Canton Central Catholic on Saturday. Miller moved without the basketball and his teammates found him when he was open to launch away from long range. His highlight of the game came at the first half buzzer when he converted on a 30 footer to go into the locker room. Really impressive performance against a team as talented as Margaretta, they'll need Miller to play like that if they want to defeat the likes of Lutheran East and Richmond Heights in March.     One of the elite passing point guards in Kentucky, Newport has looked like a new team ever since Rondon got eligible after his transfer from Cooper. Playing with unique pace and patience, Rondon does an excellent job of manipulating the defense before throwing a lob to one of Newport's bigs for a slam dunk. Rondon also can throw the no-look pass or bounce pass to thread the needle to teammates. Really fun watching Rondon operate for Newport as their half-court offense gets unlocked with him on the court.     Turner's life got way easier for Newport with the addition of Rondon as now he has a point guard who can find him on lobs and as a rim runner. Similar to how Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively ran the pick and roll, Rondon and Turner have that sort of connection. With a point guard setting the table for him, Turner can focus on rim running, blocking shots and playing with energy. A Division I target, it'll be interesting to see where Turner's recruitment winds up this summer.     Harvest Prep got a win by committee on Saturday with a variety of players making impacts. I chose Pollard as my standout due to his strong second half performance. Pollard knocked down a couple shots and also provided a couple of assists in transition. Defensively is where he really shined though, forcing numerous turnovers with his pressure and length defensively. After falling behind early, I was impressed with Harvest Prep's ability to claw back and secure a win over a previously unbeaten Berlin Hiland squad.     The Piatt name is well known in Smithville and Brennan stood out for the hosts on Saturday as they picked up a nice win over Genoa. A strong guard for his grade, Piatt did a nice job of getting to the rim and using his strength in the paint. Also flashing the ability to shoot it from the outside, Piatt hit an early 3-pointer. A name I'll be watching over the next few years, Piatt is having a big impact for a Smithville squad that has a chance to contend in Division VI.

The Battle at the Berkey is an event at Smithville High School that continues to grow in talent each year. In this article we'll break down the standouts from Saturday's action.