Marion County Champs!!-Rising Stars of Fall Creek Valley

Basketball fans were treated to a spectacular championship game on Saturday. These young men earned the title and showed why they're rising stars.    This young man showed up and showed out Saturday afternoon! Dominique had a championship performance for the ages. He's a great all-around player who made plays everywhere on the court. Offensively, he excelled at getting into the paint and scoring at the basket. On other occasions, he was able to dish off a number of assists to open teammates along the perimeter or near the basket. There were no answers for Dominique on this day! He lead his Fall Creek Valley squad in every statistical category on Saturday. Whether it was getting to the basket of knocking down four threes; this guy couldn't be stopped! Where Dominique really excelled was on the defensive end of the floor. I never saw one player force an insane amount of turnovers in a single game. The New Augusta squad had a very hard time bringing the ball up court, due to his excellent on-ball pressure. Dominique was a monster playing the passing lanes. His timing for jumping passing routes was something special. Literally every steal he had, resulted with him scoring in transition. Some of those transition baskets lead to three point play opportunities after he drew fouls. I have no issue proclaiming Dominique as an elite defender right now! It's amazing because he's only a seventh grader. In my opinion, he will become even more elite as an all-around player in the coming years. His stat line in the championship game was ridiculous! This kid almost had a quadruple-double. Dominique finished the game with (35 points, 12 rebounds, 14 steals, 8 assists) My hat goes off to this young man. Excellent performance Dominique!!     Levin had an excellent performance in the championship game Saturday afternoon. He's a great scorer in the post area of the court. Levin was great at using a variety of moves to score despite being fouled. Whether it was the offensive put-backs, turn-around shots or drives to the basket; Levin had a productive day on offense. There were times when the big man showed off his agility by pushing the ball up court. On many of these drives, he was able to score at the rim. He surprised me when he caught a pass at the top of the key and connected on a deep three ball. I wasn't expecting this outcome, so Levin showed he has the ability to score on the perimeter too. He's a great rebounder on both ends of the floor. In Saturdays' game, he was close to grabbing double-digit boards while playing excellent defense. He showed great timing by turning away multiple New Augusta players with shot-blocks at the basket. Levin ran the floor and scored during fast-break opportunities on numerous occasions. He made scoring difficult for opponents attempting to get into the paint. Excellent game Levin!!     After watching Dezmen play his first game, all I saw was a shooter. In the championship game, this young man totally changed my perception of how I believed he plays. As I said, Dezmen is an excellent shooter who can really shoot the three ball. (4 threes) In the biggest game of the season, he was able to break down defenders and get to the rim. I watched him score numerous times by making shots in transition and cutting to the basket. Many assists were thrown his way as he cut to the rim for easy scores. He can also make plays by finding teammates with slick passes. A few of his dimes lead to easy transition points and scores in the post for his big man. Dezmen isn't only a three point shooter. He also excelled at knocking down mid-range shots using great dribble moves. These moves allowed him to generate space for good looks at the basket. On defense, he was able to stay with opposing guards by applying constant pressure on the ball. Great game Dezmen!!     Corey showed the ability to score a various ways during Saturday's game. On some occasions, he was able to be dominate in the paint by grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring on put-backs. Corey also contributed of the offensive end by getting to the basket and scoring transition baskets. There were a number of times during the game, Corey was able to knock down mid-range shots in isolated situations on the wing. Corey always ran the floor and made himself available for a pass streaking to the basket. In my opinion, Corey's biggest strength was his sheer hustle to be a part of every play on the floor. I appreciated how this young man gave maximum effort on the basketball court. He's willing to be the "glue guy" who does everything for the Fall Creek Valley team. This is a winning trait to have. Keep it up Corey!!     Javon has above average ball handling skills. During the game he showed the ability to lead fast-breaks and make correct decisions on the floor. Many of his choices generated easy scores on the offensive end of the court. This little guy plays with an aggressive style of getting to the basket and either scoring or finding teammates. He's an excellent floor general who makes positive plays that allow his team to be successful on offense. Javon can also knock down mid-range shots and floaters in the paint. Whenever the opportunities present itself, he answers the call. Defensively, he used his quickness to apply excellent on-ball pressure and force turnovers. Javon was also great at playing passing lanes and causing mistakes for the New Augusta guards. Javon plays the game with a very calm demeanor, which can take him a long way. Keep working Javon!!

Basketball fans were treated to a spectacular championship game on Saturday. These young men earned the title and showed why they're rising stars.