Harrisburg vs. SF Jefferson: Player Notes

Sioux Falls, SD — Prep Hoops Dakotas tuned in Monday night for a Metro Athletic Conference showdown that had been rescheduled due to weather. Harrisburg entered the matchup with a 5–3 record and a No. 4 ranking in Class AA, while Sioux Falls Jefferson came in at 4–5 looking to make a statement.   Sioux Falls Jefferson and Harrisburg delivered a highly entertaining AA battle that turned into a wild, back-and-forth contest. With it being senior night, the Cavaliers opened the game by starting all seniors, while Harrisburg wasted little time asserting itself on both ends of the floor.   Jefferson jumped into a 2–3 zone early, but the Tigers handled it well, moving the ball with purpose, swinging it side-to-side, and creating clean looks off reversals. Harrisburg controlled the opening quarter and continued that momentum into the second, building a comfortable lead. However, Jefferson's junior backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id='2860517' first='Jase' last='Unzen'] and Coby Nuttbrock sparked a late-second-quarter run that trimmed the deficit, sending the Cavaliers into halftime down 12.   Jefferson carried that energy into the third quarter, cutting the lead to nine early before continuing to apply pressure. Plays from Unzen, Nuttbrock, and [player_tooltip player_id='1959438' first='Kuai' last='Mayen'] fueled the surge, with the deficit shrinking to five at the 4:50 mark and eventually down to four during a fast-paced, back-and-forth stretch. Harrisburg steadied itself late in the quarter, capped by a strong offensive rebound and putback from [player_tooltip player_id='1641478' first='Stellen' last='Larson'] to push the Tigers into the fourth with an eight-point advantage.   Harrisburg opened the final frame in a zone look, attempting to slow Jefferson's momentum, but the Cavaliers kept coming. A Coby Nuttbrock and-one followed by a three-point play brought the lead down to three with just over five minutes to play, and an [player_tooltip player_id='2958986' first='Easton' last='Riley'] layup made it a one-point game. [player_tooltip player_id='1641207' first='Cole' last='Kooiker'] responded with a timely triple, and [player_tooltip player_id='1641209' first='Crayton' last='Jibben'] followed with a three of his own to push the lead back to seven.   Jefferson refused to fold. Unzen knocked down a tough three to cut the margin to four with 2:30 remaining, and after continued back-and-forth play, Mayen buried a deep three under a minute to make it a two-point game. The Cavaliers had a final opportunity to tie in the closing seconds but came up just short.   What initially looked like a game Harrisburg might control turned into a statement showing from Jefferson, particularly in the second half. Both teams hit big, timely shots and showcased grit, toughness, and playmaking throughout the night. It was a fantastic brand of basketball and a thrilling way to cap off a Monday night matchup.   See below for player notes......   SCORES   1st: Harrisburg 18 Jefferson 8   HALF: Harrisburg 37 Jefferson 25   3rd: Harrisburg 54 Jefferson 46   FINAL: Harrisburg 72 Jefferson 69   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PlayerNotes.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/PlayerNotes.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-2302277" style="aspect-ratio:1.601935874168179;width:250px;height:auto" /></a></figure>   Tigers    -Started the game with a 3ball from the corner pocket   -Delivered a beautiful dime to a cutting Doe out of a double team trap   -Reacted well when picking off an errant pass   -Sneaky D, blocked a shot   -Transition push, drew help, kick-out to Larson for a triple   -Downhill attack, got the runner/floater to go, nice score   -Hit 1/2 FT's with 25.2 left on the clock   -Looks like he is playing with confidence and a purpose     -Looked very good at times, came up with clutch scores   -Versatile, tough matchup as he can score in a variety of ways   -Slash both L & R and finish with both hands   -Sprint out fast-break score, athletic inside-hand finish   -Showed an effective spin-move when slashing   -Diagonal slash, finger-roll finish w/ D on his hip   -Cashed a 3-ball in the 2ndQ   -Catch-n-shoot triple, in-rhythm, smooth   -O-board, putback in traffic with his inside hand   -Blocked a shot, perfect timing   -Showed another sweet spin-move, finished w/ a lefty push-shot, got the roll   -Drained a monster triple in the 4th to help extended the lead     -Has shot it hot all season and tonight was no exception, of all his shots, I think Cole only hit the rim once   -Came up with clutch buckets when the team really needed them   -Early in the game, he did a nice job of passing ahead in transition   -Pull-up 3-ball, silky smooth, all net   -Great at getting the defense on skate and knows exactly when to pull-up   -Picked up a loose ball steal   -Hit a stepback J from 15', sick behind-the-back-move, stopped on a dime & hit   -Hit a pull-up 3-ballin transition, cash, all net   -Mid attack, fouled, 2/2 swish, good to see him attacking off the bounce   -Drive, spin, fall-away bank shot off the glass   -DEEP 3 in the 4th, huge shot, helped extended the lead   -Threw skilled lefty passes accurately   -Played hard and proved to be a gamer     -Aggressive athlete, looked great in transition   -Tip steal, back-side cut, catch, score on the black   -Hard attack, draw contact, 1/2 from the line   -O-board in traffic, contested putback score   -Full speed finish in transition, AND1 bucket, nice score   -Another steal   -Fast & strong in transition   -Hard baseline slash, fouled, 1/2 FT's   -Coast-to-coast, dished a dime to Nour, unselfish   -Excellent in transition, runs the floor hard     -Strong, physical, powerful athlete   -Proved to be a 3-level scorer   -Did a good job of holding his box-outs & securing rebounds   -Nailed a trey from the lefty corner in the 1stQ   -Catch in traffic, elevated nicely, reverse lay-up   -Fouled at the rack, 2/2 FT's   -Showed his touch with a shooters-roll   -Impressive step-through move, good feet   -Hit a 3-ball from the left wing in transition, Jensen w/ the assist   -Gobbled up multiple offensive rebounds   -Strong post-up to start the 3rd, spin/attack, fouled 1/2 FT's   -Physical O-board, fouled on the putback, 2/2 FT's   -Offensive rebound, putback to end the 3rd before the buzzer sounded   -Drilled a right corner 3-ball around the 2:00 mark in the 4th   -Strong take, fouled, 2/2 FT's with 1:15 on the clock   -Made some clutch plays tonight   -Huge O-board in the 4th on a teammate's missed FT    Cavaliers    -Shot at least 10 FT's on the night, great at drawing fouls   -Unofficially 9/10 from the FT-line   -Looked like a free-throw merchant   -Aggressive & athletic to the rack, always finds a way to the hoop   -Tough on the O-glass in the first half   -Offensive rebound, stick-back bucket in the 2ndQ   -O-board, quick putback score   -Catch & score on the block, great assist from Unzen   -Used his quick reactions to block a shot, blocked another shot   -2/2 FT's to end 2ndQ, no time on the clock, shot them all alone on the court   -Catch & finish on the block, Unzen w/ another dime   -Colby looks to have great hands   -Tigers got a technical foul, he stepped up and hit both, 2/2   -Loose ball steal, coast-to-coast, double-pump lefty score   -Point-blank finish, efficient around the hoop   -Hit an impressive runner in traffic   -Post catch, kiss off the glass, nice score   -Multiple time he got a shooters touch roll   -Crazy tough baseline drive, AND1 finish, hit FT for a 3pt play   -Another AND1 attack & score, big play in the 4th   -Cut/catch/foul, 1/2 FT's in the 4th   -Unselfish assist in transition to Unzen   -At the line again in the 4th, 2/2 FT's   -Opportunistic scorer, difficult matchup     -Gifted athlete, few players can move like Unzen   -Middle drive, runner score, bank, high arcing, got it to fall   -Drilled a shot baseline J, pulled up over the D, great elevation   -Cashed a 3-ball from the right wing in the first half   -Fooled the D w/ a dirty behind-the-back move, dropped a dime to Colby   -Hit another triple, pull-up in transition   -Showed off the sprinter speed, no wonder he is an all-star football player   -Tip steal, forced the TO & scored on the other end   -Made another three in transition, money ball   -Three ball in the 4th, tough shot from deep, cut the lead to 4 points   -Another triple, cut the lead back to 4   -Hit some clutch shots when the Cavs really needed scores   -Jase was hot from deep tonight     -Long, lanky, arms go on for days   -Tough on the glass, several O-boards throughout the night   -Reacted well to missed shots, got into good position & secured the rock   -Blocked a shot around the basket   -Rejected a 3-point shot   -Fouled multiple times near the hoop, made multiple trips to the FT-line   -Came up with some big O-boards in the 4th   -Sweet pass to a cutting Nuttbrock   -Slipped a screen, catch, reverse layup score, cut the lead to 1 point     -High octane athlete, fast, covers a ton of ground, bouncy   -Banged home a three early in the game, the bank was open late in Sioux Falls   -Athlete slash & AND1 finish, impressive body control   -Transition 2-handed HAMMER, that one is going in the highlight reel   -Impressive transition score, 3/4 court push & finish   -Set a back-screen late, shaped up, hit a deep triple, cut the lead to 2 points   -1/2 FT's late with 21.5 on the clock   -Looks like a noteworthy athlete and playmaker    <figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/image_10859e.png"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/image_10859e.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3443548" style="aspect-ratio:1.601963190184049;width:669px;height:auto" /></a></figure>

Sioux Falls, SD — Prep Hoops Dakotas tuned in Monday night for a Metro Athletic Conference showdown that had been rescheduled due to weather. Harrisburg entered the matchup with a 5–3 record and a No. 4 ranking in Class AA, while Sioux Falls Jefferson came in at 4–5 looking to make a statement.