Excellent Guards from the Bob Sechrest Jr. Christmas Tournament

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the final day of 2025, we had a chance to take a look at the final day of the Bob Sechrest Jr. Christmas Tournament at Park Hills Central. The tournament annually wraps up on New Year's Eve. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final game of the year was a doozy as Festus defeated No. 1 seed Potosi in overtime to win its first ever championship at Park Hill Central. Hillsboro defeated Farmington for third place in another overtime thriller. In the fifth-place game, Fredericktown defeated Jefferson R-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a look at some of the excellent guards who stood out on New Year's Eve at Park Hills Central.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2617580' first='Drew' last='Johnson'] (Festus): It was a big night for the 6'4" 2026 guard, who led the Tigers to the tournament championship. In addition to the championship, he also scored his 1,000th career point while also sinking his 200th career 3-pointer. He had it really going from 3-point range with some of his shots coming from past the volleyball line. He displayed a very confident and quick release. He was also attacking the close outs and getting buckets off the drive in the lane. It was an impressive display in such a big game to help his school make history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Canaan Wilson (Potosi): The 5'11" 2027 point guard scored a team-high 28 points to lead his team to a berth in the championship game. He really put a charge in the building when he hit a corner 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation to put the championship game into overtime. He is definitely one of the top players in the Parkland area. He has good quickness and he can score comfortably from all three levels. His shooting range extends well beyond the 3-point line. He was also getting into the lane and scoring on twisting and spinning drives around the basket. He has really increased his level of play since becoming the top scoring threat this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2569211' first='Tucker' last='Reutzel'] (Fredericktown): The 6'0" 2028 guard led the Blackcats to a victory over Jefferson in the fifth-place game. When I first watched the Blackcats in the Arcadia Valley Tournament, he was out with an injury. It is a totally different team with Reutzel back at the controls. He is a talented three-level scorer who is also an excellent playmaker who makes his teammates better with his passing. He has smooth handles and he can either pull up from long distance or slither his way into the lane for a bucket. He displayed his overall game with 18 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in the victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Peyton Rowe (Potosi): A 2026 guard who scored 23 points against Festus in the championship game. I was very impressed with his high energy style of play as he was in constant motion. He is a good cutter off the ball and he was also flying around to get loose balls and offensive rebounds. He was getting to the rim with fearless drives and he could also dial it up from 3-point range. He just makes things happen with his effort.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Braydon Wilkes (Festus): The 6'4" 2027 wing scored 20 points in the championship game. He is a solidly built guard with good size and perimeter shooting ability. He shoots it at about a 40 percent clip from long distance and he hit a number of big ones in the championship game against Potosi. He's very good with the catch and shoot, but he was able to work his way into the middle of the lane and score on a couple of occasions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cooper McGrath (Hillsboro): A 6'0" 2026 guard who scored 21 points in the Hawks overtime victory over Farmington in the third-place game. He is a high-energy player who was shooting it well from the corners. He is also a physical player who did a good job of drawing contact on his drives and getting to the free throw line. He also used his good speed and hustle to get to loose balls to create more possessions for his team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2404054' first='Brendan' last='Poyner'] (Hillsboro): The 5'8" 2026 point guard had a big game with 29 points in the Hawks victory over Farmington in the third-place game. He provided some late-game drama when he drained a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to send the game into overtime. He had several ways to beat the defense with his scoring. He could hit the pull up jumper from the elbow with good elevation. He could slice into the lane to score on the drive and also hit 3-pointers from the volleyball line. He did a good job of drawing defenders with his dribble penetration and locating open teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2836988' first='Blayne' last='Wilson'] (Jefferson): A 5'11" 2027 guard who did a very good job of penetrating into the middle of the zone defense and getting two feet in the lane. He could hit the jumper or kick it out to an open shooter on the perimeter. He plays well off the ball with his ability to read defenses and cut to get himself open. He also swooped in to grab some offensive rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blake Terry (Fredericktown): A 5'10' 2026 guard who I really enjoy watching because he's an energizer bunny who is moving non-stop. He is flying around and was very active on the top of the zone defense; getting deflections. He can also shoot the ball pretty well. He hit a pair of 3-pointers from the corner to get the Blackcats going in the second quarter in the fifth-place game victory over Jefferson. He is also a solid ball handler. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, he is definitely going to make things happen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->