Brooks defeats Rivers for NEPSAC Class B Championship

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What an unbelievable game this one was. Rivers got out to an early lead, but [player_tooltip player_id='2396716' first='Alex' last='Wilkins'] of Brooks put on a legendary scoring performance that he'll remember for the rest of his life. These two teams battled it out before Wilkins' buzzer beater lifted Brooks to a 64-61 win and the NEPSAC Class B title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are my standouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2396716' first='Alex' last='Wilkins']: Wow. Wilkins put up one of the crazier scoring performances I've seen at the high school level in this game. The senior guard was scoring from absolutely everywhere on the court; at the cup, from the mid-range, from three, and then from WAY downtown. He has limitless range – which he showed off on his DEEP three in the final seconds of the game – but he uses his range as leverage for driving to the hoop. He has a myriad of hesitation and change-of-direction moves that he uses to breeze by defenders and then glides in the air for finishes with ease. He's a really special offensive talent who I can't wait to see progress at Furman next year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2341336' first='Trokon' last='Harris']: Harris is a hugely important player for Brooks because he's their best offensive creator aside from Wilkins. And when the defense is set on taking Alex away, Harris often finds himself attacking closeouts on the weak side or having to handle the ball by himself against pressure. He plays at his own pace but has some really nice hang-time on finishes and uses his body wonderfully on that end – he gets into the defense and then peels away at the last second to finish away from the contest. His shot is unconventional but he can make it from the mid-range and even occasionally from three. I'll be curious to see what kind of role Harris plays on Brooks next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1532419' first='Emersen' last='Davis']: Davis came up big in this game with a number of important shots. By my count, he hit three big-time threes and a couple deep mid-range jumpers, all in seemingly clutch moments. It seemed like whenever the defense collapsed to Wilkins, Davis relocated on the arc and was able to get off his shot – and he was feeling it for virtually the entire game. Quite a moment for Emersen, who had a huge shooting game when it mattered most. Good for him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2325737' first='Robby' last='Fiore']: Fiore is known as one of the better shooters in the region, and he showed just that in the championship game. He has deep range and can make shots with consistency off of both the catch and the dribble. He's also a good cutter off the ball and had a backdoor cut for a dunk that nobody – especially not the announcers – were expecting. He has some VERY sneaky hops that he doesn't bring out too often, but they're quite impressive when he does. At Babson, I'm sure he'll fill a shooting role and not handle the ball too much, though he's capable of doing that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1489265' first='Andrew' last='Alekseyenko']: Alekseyenko continues to impress me with his ability to create for himself and others off the dribble. The fact that a 6-foot-8 big man can comfortably dribble the ball up the court while handling pressure and is able to control the ball in small spaces in the half court makes him a very intriguing piece to an offense. He's so versatile, and he'll be used in a number of ways during his college career at Colgate. He doesn't take too many threes for Rivers, but his shot looks really nice and I could see that being unlocked at the next level. Then, his ability to attack closeouts and find cutters will be lifted to new heights.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1529125' first='Ryan' last='Altman']: I don't think Altman has scratched the surface of what he could become as a basketball player. The 6-foot-6 wing is so tough and strong with certain athletic traits you just can't teach – he might be the best rebounder at his size in the entire region. Most importantly, I think his shot can be unlocked to a level it hasn't been yet; he has a beautiful release and gets tons of elevation on his jumper, and he's tall and long. He has everything a shooter needs, but for some reason he isn't as aggressive from the outside as I'd think he would be. I'll look for that skill to develop next year at Penn, and I think Altman could look a lot different in the future. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->