Big-Time Performances From Upperclassmen at Adam Ward Classic

The 10th annual Adam Ward Classic took place this past Saturday, and there were some great performances. Here are the best upperclassmen I got my eye on.    [player_tooltip player_id='2618837' first='Christian' last='Dinges'] put on a show for John Handley. Christian was a true matchup nightmare for Hidden Valley, showcasing his versatility as a scorer. Early in the game, Christian did a great job creating for himself on the perimeter. He got to the rim multiple times and hit a few threes off the dribble. As the game wore on, Christian went from playing as more of a guard to playing off the ball and using size to be more of a wing/big. He did some work out of the post and had a nice seal to get a tough bucket. Christian did great finishing through contact, and he had back-to-back plays starting with a put-back dunk, then a back-door cut he turned into an alley-oop the next time down, which felt like the dagger. Besides a few sloppy turnovers late, he was fantastic.     Riley James got this game started for Hidden Valley directly off the tip with a lay-in. Riley is quick and a good athlete, and a knock-down shooter. He hit a handful of spot-up threes and had a nice step back late that kept Hidden Valley in it at the time. He was his team's biggest source of offense and had a really solid showing.     There was no answer that Northside had for Senior big Dariyon Williams. Dariyon's first impression on the game was an emphatic block that he almost snatched out of the air. He followed that up with a nice post move that he finished with a dunk, and a moment later had a put-back slam on a teammate's fastbreak lay-up miss. His size and leaping ability gave Northside fits on the glass, and he was excellent all game protecting the rim. Dariyon is a fluid athlete with a good motor and was the difference maker in a Patrick Henry win.     [player_tooltip player_id='2880087' first='Shawn' last='Turner'] was a fun watch for Cave Spring. He is a twitchy athlete, and Lord Botetourt couldn't stop him from getting to the rim. Shawn did most of his work putting his head down and blowing by defenders and using a bunch of crafty moves to get easy buckets on a small Lord Botetourt squad lacking rim protection. He also had a few nice cuts and hit a couple of threes early. A very good showing in an overtime Cave Spring's win.     There's a lot to like when watching [player_tooltip player_id='2815299' first='Ashton' last='Cornett']'s game. Ashton has excellent size for a wing and is a knockdown shooter. He had a couple of tough finishes, and with his length and motor, he has the potential to be a disruptive defender. He is a good athlete and is the type of plug-and-play wing a lot of programs look for.     [player_tooltip player_id='2321336' first='Landon' last='Hayes'] had a big day for Lord Botetourt. Landon did a lot of his work as a spot-up shooter, and he was terrific playing without the ball as a cutter. He often made the extra pass, and even though he had the hot hand, he didn't force anything and just played his game. I loved his vision, and he showed a lot of value as a combo guard. He had a tough offensive rebound early in the game that he grabbed over several people and layed in after that impressed me.

The 10th annual Adam Ward Classic took place this past Saturday, and there were some great performances. Here are the best upperclassmen I got my eye on.