District 12 3A Championship: West Catholic 64, Audenried 46

With District 12's Class 3A title on the line, 2023 state champs West Catholic of the PCL knocked off the Public League's Audenried Charter in a game the Burrs controlled for the duration. They won through a remarkably balanced effort that saw nine players score, with just two in double-figures. Both teams will move on to the state tournament, with West as the top seed from District 12 and Audenried as the second seed.    Lee wasn't a primary scorer for West Catholic but was unquestionably the engine to their offense with his dynamic ability to generate paint touches. Seemingly every time one would blink, Lee was bursting past his defender off the bounce, setting up teammates for a number of easy looks while also just narrowly missing on a handful of finishes himself (some that could have been called fouls). Not known as a shooter, he also knocked down a second half 3 off the catch. He can be inconsistent at times, but Lee's paint pressure looks to be a translatable skill for the scholarship level, with upside if he can continue to develop his shooting.     It came in losing fashion, but the best individual performance of the game likely came from Cole, playing against his former team having transferred over from West Catholic. A natural wing, Cole slid over onto the ball with the Rockets' regular PG ineligible to play due to transfer rules. He struggled with his scoring efficiency for much of the game but showed impressive feel and skill while initiating offense at his size, routinely kickstarting the offense with drive-and-kicks. He also intrigues with his ability to defend smaller guards at his size. Cole would show his scoring ability later on with some pullups and athletic finishes. He's a D1 talent when things are clicking for him who's flying under the radar at the scholarship level.     Maybe the biggest revelation of the night came through the performance of Lee, an active young big man with intriguing upside as he refines his game. After dealing with early foul trouble, he got back on the floor and made a quick impact with his energy up front. He's a constant factor on the glass with sticky hands, strong positioning to carve out space, and a multi-effort motor. While still improving his finishing consistency, he's regularly in the right spot to catch and finish, flashing ability with either hand. Lee also intrigues with his defensive versatility, particularly if he's able to add more size to be a true rim protector. We look forward to tracking him into grassroots season.     Often more of a glue guy in the West rotation, Speaks showed more of his offensive arsenal while leading the Burrs in scoring with 14 points. Always aggressive, he showed some added polish and touch to his downhill game into some tough finishes through traffic. The wing guard also knocked in a couple fourth-quarter 3s to pad the lead and show his extended range. Known for his aggressive two-way play in the floor game, the scoring ability is a nice bonus as Speaks looks to establish himself on the scholarship radar.     Coming off a second team All-Catholic selection, Wheatley had a quiet statistical performance but showed much of the developing versatile skillset that's already intrigued D1 coaches. A natural interior player, he's continued to make progress operating on the perimeter as an increasingly dynamic catch-and-shoot threat or as a connector with his passing and dribble-handoff game. Wheatley has also built out a nice scoring package to attack slower bigs in faceup situations or take smaller forwards into the post. A live body with versatility on the defensive end, he fits a valuable mold that can impact winning up to the D1 level even on nights without huge production.

With District 12's Class 3A title on the line, 2023 state champs West Catholic of the PCL knocked off the Public League's Audenried Charter in a game the Burrs controlled for the duration. They won through a remarkably balanced effort that saw nine players score, with just two in double-figures. Both teams will move on to the state tournament, with West as the top seed from District 12 and Audenried as the second seed.