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<p>The Bass Pro Tournament of Champions got underway on Thursday night at the Great Southern Bank Arena on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield. </p>
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<p>Prep Hoops Missouri took a look at the two-first round games involving the three teams from Missouri. It was [player_tooltip player_id='2873530' first='Logan' last='']-Rogersville vs. national No. 1 Paul VI (VA) and national No. 2 Principia vs. Springfield Kickapoo.</p>
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<p>Here are some observations from those two games.</p>
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<p>PAUL VI SURVIVES UPSET MINDED LOGAN ROGERSVILLE</p>
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<p>The top game of the evening was the battle between top-ranked Paul VI against local school [player_tooltip player_id='2873530' first='Logan' last='']-Rogersville. Behind a great home crowd and some excellent perimeter shooting, the Wildcats battled Paul VI from start to finish.</p>
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<p>Rogersville came out smoking in the first quarter as it made six 3-pointers to take a 23-12 lead. Paul VI came back to cut the lead to 33-29 at halftime, then went on a 15-0 run to take control of the game in the second half. However, the Wildcats fought back and actually took a 58-55 lead on a 3-pointer by All-State guard [player_tooltip player_id='2334901' first='Chase' last='Branham'] with about two minutes left to play. </p>
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<p>A national upset was a good possibility, but Paul VI locked things down defensively and scored the last nine points of the game to take a 64-58 victory. Paul VI looked like a team that has been in many of these big games before as they displayed its poise down the stretch to post the win.</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2873530' first='Logan' last=''] ROGERSVILLE PLAYERS OF NOTE</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2334901' first='Chase' last='Branham']: The 6'4" 2027 Indiana commit scored a team-high 21 points, including a trio of 3-pointers. His shooting range is deep, but he is also smooth with the handles which enabled him to create his own shot against some tenacious defense. He gets to the middle area and elevates on his jumper with ease. He sent the building into a frenzy when he hit that 25-footer to give the Wildcats the 58-55 lead down the stretch.</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2731391' first='Sutton' last='Shook']: The 6'5" 2027 guard scored 17 points while providing some tremendous lights out shooting on the evening. He was three for three from long distance in the first quarter, which helped stake the Wildcats to their early double-digit lead. When Paul VI defenders started closing out on him, he was able to beat them with the one-dribble pull up jumper from the mid-range area.</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2607456' first='Titus' last='Moore']: The 6'6" 2028 forward finished the game with 11 points and six rebounds before fouling out in the closing seconds. The versatile 230-pounder showed his ball handling skills as he beat defenders with some tough takes into the lane for buckets. He also knocked down a 3-pointer off the catch.</p>
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<p></p>
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<p>PAUL VI PLAYERS OF NOTE</p>
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<p>Jordan Smith Jr: University of Arkansas head coach John Calipari was in the house to check out the uncommitted five-star guard. The muscular 6'3" Smith was tremendous with 22 points as well as a brilliant floor game. He used his strength and body control to get repeated buckets in the lane or pull up jumpers. He also manipulated possessions where he would set up teammates with easy opportunities in an unselfish way. He also loved the challenge of playing lock down defense. He is a player who will do whatever is needed to win the game.</p>
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<p>Brian Mitchell Jr: The 6'4" 2027 guard tied his teammate Jordan Smith Jr. for high scoring honors with 22 points. He is a smooth offensive player with three-levels scoring ability. He drilled four 3-pointers and he also created off the bounce with a nice mid-range game. He could also get into the traffic and score through contact.</p>
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<p>Lawrence Brown: The 5'11" 2026 Florida Gulf Coast recruit scored 10 points, which included a pair of 3-pointers. He has good quickness and he can break down defenders to get his own shot. He hit a nice step-back 3-pointer in the first quarter. He also attacked well on dribble penetration to get into the lane or hit the mid-range jumper.</p>
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<p>******</p>
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<p>PRINCIPIA WEARS DOWN A GAME KICKAPOO TEAM</p>
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<p>Principia entered its first round matchup with Kickapoo with a decided size advantage across the board. The Chiefs tried to counter Prin's size with its perimeter shooting and they hit 11 of them. Guards [player_tooltip player_id='1872262' first='Reese' last='Kimrey'], [player_tooltip player_id='1641833' first='Vincent' last='Mhire'], Brayden Roubidoux and [player_tooltip player_id='2552529' first='Rylee' last='Tan'] also hit at least two 3-pointers. However, it was not enough as the Panthers controlled the game from start to finish to take a 70-55 victory.</p>
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<p></p>
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<p>PRINCIPIA PLAYERS OF NOTE</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2352805' first='Quentin' last='Coleman']: The 6'4" 2026 Wake Forest recruit scored a game-high 28 points. Although he scores big numbers, it doesn't show his entire impact on the game. He rebounds and makes big plays on defense and he is very unselfish. He doesn't try to force a lot of things offensively. He is just very smooth and efficient in how he gets his points.</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2334905' first='Gassim' last='Toure']: The 6'3" 2027 guard scored 17 points. He did a lot of his damage around the basket with his strength and athleticism. He was slashing into the lane for buckets and getting offensive rebounds for putbacks. He was also excellent in the transition game.</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='2377735' first='Kingston' last='Money']: The 6'3" 2027 guard scored 10 points off the bench. He is another big guard who is very good at scoring in the lane. He showed his slashing game, which was very effective along with his stop and pop jumper from the mid-range area.</p>
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<p></p>
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<p>KICKAPOO PLAYERS OF NOTE</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1872262' first='Reese' last='Kimrey']: The 6'1" 2026 Northwest Missouri recruit scored a team-high 13 points. He used his physical strength to attack the basket and scored on a couple of fearless drives in traffic. He also got himself to the free throw line. He scored most of his points after halftime, including a pair of 3-pointers.</p>
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<p>Brock Thompson: The 6'4" 2026 forward scored nine points and did a very solid job of battling inside against Principia's much bigger front line. He is strong and he plays a blue-collar style of game. He made good use of pump fakes inside and he also used the up and under move very effectively.</p>
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<p>[player_tooltip player_id='1641833' first='Vincent' last='Mhire']: A 6'0" 2026 guard who came off the bench to score nine points. He provided some instant offense from the perimeter as he scored all of his points from beyond the 3-point line. He hit a couple of them off the catch and his first one came off of a nice step back.</p>
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The Bass Pro Tournament of Champions got underway on Thursday night at the Great Southern Bank Arena on the campus of Missouri State University in Springfield.
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