Gritty Guys Show out

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>PICTURED: [player_tooltip player_id='2543761' first='Abe' last='Soucy']</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newspaper articles gush about leading scorers and All-District honors consistently go to bucket-getters and yet they provide only a single ingredient to the winning sauce. In this the first week of the 2025-2026 season multiple unheralded, gritty hoopers thrived and motivated their teammates as a result.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2543761' first='Abe' last='Soucy'] - Providence Christian Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Start with a heart-warming story...the return of [player_tooltip player_id='2543761' first='Abe' last='Soucy']. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2543761' first='Abe' last='Soucy']</strong> missed a ton of time with a leg injury in the last 12 months and when he returned it took quite a while for him to regain his top form. Soucy needed to play with quickness to be effective, and his handle was rusty too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Facing 4A State Tournament-hopeful Bartlett Friday night, Abe drew a charge in the first half that lifted his squad. Soucy also figured a way into the lane and picked up a foul later in the second quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions of PCA won the State Championship in 2024-2025, but they graduated Preston Wade and lost Aiden Bolden to transfer, so the depth is thinner. Abe will be a focal point of the backcourt. He is a senior. If your prominent players play the hardest, then the rest follow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'] - Bartlett</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bartlett's [player_tooltip player_id='2083148' first='Axton' last='Perry'] is signed to a D1 basketball program (Southeast Missouri) for next fall, so he is hardly unheralded in the state. Still, Perry is gritty and active. High motor. Throughout his high school career Axton played and is playing with boundless energy and effort. Before his shooting touch evolved into what it is now Axton was primarily a hungry rebounder. What makes his future exciting is that he kept that attribute and improved on a weakness in the intervening months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='2930953' first='Grafton' last='Graves'] - Wilson Central</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wilson Central dropped their opener to James Lawson High, 69-63, but they made it close by the end. Grafton provided a unique blend of rebounding and handles. The junior combo forward wiggled a bit when handling the pill out high and looks the part of a point forward in the right scenarios. Graves must play under the rim defensively, as WCHS trots out a modestly tall team for 4A. Do not mistake Graves' placement on that end as a limitation on the offensive end though. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1578715' first='Osby' last='Cavin'] - John Paul II</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Osby set a school record Friday night by dropping 45 points on Whites Creek. The guy is such a hard worker. For years the combo guard competed and passed guys with more natural talent thanks to his grit. The skill continues to improve though the grinding mentality was apparent early in his high school career. JP2 would like to win the State Championship this year, and the squad is assembled to do that. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->