Day Four John Wall Holiday Invitational Standouts (Part Two)

As we're almost done with the series, this has been such an incredible event to recap with so many special performances. Championship day provides a different type of tension in the gym that has everyone in attendance on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Without further delay, let's take a look at our standouts from the middle portion of Championship day!    Gunter had a signature performance in what was a signature win for Greensboro Day as they knocked off IMG Academy in the 3rd place game of the Coby White Bracket. Gunter finished with a game high 24 Points on an incredibly efficient 7-14 from the floor and 3-4 from deep. Gunter also added 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, and 2 Steals to round out the contributions. Gunter has grown from his listed 6'0" height and has done an incredible job in the weight room to embrace the physical aspect of the game. Gunter is wired to score it, one of the best scorers to play for Freddy Johnson in recent memory and should have a monster career at Greensboro Day. The outside touch, the aggressiveness, ability to finish with both hands, and all doing it in the flow of the offense makes Gunter a big time prospect to monitor in NC's 2028 class.     Beamer is a really skilled scorer that knows where his spots are and how to get there. The Boston College Signee finished with 17 Points and 2 Rebounds in the IMG Academy loss to Greensboro Day. In a game where it wasn't really clicking for the Ascenders, Beamer did his best to take matters into his own hands and try to create offense. His mid-range game is very refined for a guard at this stage in their career, he can pull up going either direction and over contests when needed. He showed the ability to hit the three ball as well, connecting on a trio from beyond the arc in this one. Beamer will continue to put together big performances and hopefully help IMG right the ship before the national tournaments begin.     When we launch the 2029 rankings here soon, expect Duggins to be at the top or near the top of the list because what he's already shown us just halfway through his Freshman season is simply special. In a win vs IMG Academy, Duggins finished with 11 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 2 Assists in the win while shooting 5-10 from the floor and connecting on 1-3 from beyond the arc. The foundational skillset he possesses at his size/age with the way he approaches the game is the kind of package that finds themselves with a prospect that is a wire to wire nationally ranked guy. I fully expect that to be the case with Duggins, he's one of the best prospects in the State regardless of class right now.     Palmer is a supremely skilled shot making guard that helped propel a monster 4th quarter run for Highland in their win over Wilson in the 3rd place game of the Day'Ron Sharpe Bracket. Palmer finished with 11 Points, 2 Rebounds, 2 Assists, and 2 Steals off the bench while connecting on 3/7 of his shots from beyond the arc. People talk about 3 level scorers, Palmer is a 4 level scorer. His range legitimately extends beyond the volleyball line. He's shown the ability to play the PG position, initiating Highland's office and getting them into their stuff without disruption. Expect Palmer to get better and better as he gets this high level experience at Highland. As he turns the corner in his development in the next 1-2 years, expect his recruitment to really pick up.     Leonard continue to show why he's considered such a high level prospect. He had an outstanding John Wall Holiday Invitational where he won Most Outstanding Player in the Day'Ron Sharpe Bracket. In the 3rd place loss to Highland, Leonard finished with 22 Points, 11 Rebounds, 3 Steals, and 2 Blocks. He is simply unstoppable when going downhill to the rim. His ability to finish in traffic is legitimately special and is constantly at the free throw line because of it. He was 6-7 from the line in this one and that touch from the stripe is encouraging as he continues to expand his range to beyond the three point line. Once that aspect of his game becomes reliable, there isn't really a way to stop Leonard. His motor, physical gifts, and leadership are simply remarkable.     Taylor is one of the wildcard's off the bench in this Highland lineup due to his ability to make outside shots with the potential of swinging the game wide open. He did exactly that in the 2nd half Vs Wilson where he was a constant presence on the floor. Taylor finished with 14 Points and 7 Rebounds on 4-7 shooting from beyond the arc. The RIT commit has been making shots in big games for Highland for three seasons now. He's been such a consistent presence for this group and always finds a way to step up when they need him most. Taylor may not get super high volume every single night, but when he's making shots, Highland almost always wins.

As we're almost done with the series, this has been such an incredible event to recap with so many special performances. Championship day provides a different type of tension in the gym that has everyone in attendance on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Without further delay, let's take a look at our standouts from the middle portion of Championship day!