Grit Region Finals: Steve’s Saturday Night Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a pretty good start to the morning session here are the top players from the evening games at Grit region finals on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1552441' first='Josh' last='Abushanab'] Play Hard Hoops 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After having a stellar weekend at PH LIVE last week. Josh followed up with a pretty good scoring performance on Saturday. He did most of his scoring getting to the basket and playing off two feet. Most of his outside shots didn't fall today but he made the adjustment and got his team more involved. As his team played well together he scored a quick 11 points in limited action.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Codie Jones Jay Academy 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jones is a bigger scoring guard who relied on being physical and his handle to get to the basket. He showed three-level scoring attributes as well as some athleticism. Codie is tenacious on offense and defense. Led his team in a very balanced scoring game with 19 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaden Hardiman Jay Academy 2026&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jaden Is a 6'6 high energy forward who led the dunk party in the evening session for Jay Academy. He plays with the right intensity and motor to help on the glass and run the court to catch lobs. Hardiman is the engine for Jay Academy vehicle. His three dunks were huge momentum changers for the squad.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Takis Tyler Jay Academy 2026&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tyler is a spark plug guard that was all over the court causing problems. His high energy and defensive pressure set the tone for the team. Takis is tough and quick with the ball and has good blow-by speed. On defense, he is active and pesky on the ball defender led to several steals. Tyler chipped in with 15 points in the win.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dereon Brown B3 Academy 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dereon was a huge impact player and most talked about even in defeat. Against Basketball Paradise in bracket play Brown hit eight three-pointers in a game that went down to the last minutes of the game. He is a volume shooter that doesn't take long for him to get his feet set to knock down shots when in rhythm.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2397705' first='Noah' last='Therapos'] Lockdown 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another player who shined even in defeat was Noah. In a blowout loss to [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Black Therapos drained 6 threes himself. A smaller guard that shoots it quick and not using much lift on his shot. Small school prospect.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Buck Allen The Academy Black 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was impressed with Allen. He's a high IQ guard who likes to play fast. He ran the show moving the ball with pace and took some good shots in the flow of the game. Buck plays with confidence and the right energy to run a team. He scored 11 in what ended up a blowout win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1552439' first='Logan' last='Luxem'] [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Blk 6'2 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Luxem had his shot flowing Saturday evening. He made a three-pointer and the rest were mid-range and tough layups against a solid defense. Logan is also one of the better passers in the event hitting guys as they cut to the basket.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1552461' first='Ethan' last='Matz'] [program_tooltip program_id='2078374' first='Full' last='Package'] Blk 6'3 2026&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ethan's shot was on cruise control Saturday evening. He does a good job at finding open areas to catch and shoot against overly aggressive defenses. Matz was also seen driving to the basket off hard closeouts. The energy and high IQ that he plays with should earn him a scholarship from some small school. He leads all scores with 22 points</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->