IHSA State Finals: Scotty B's Thursday Notebook

***Use Code “ScottyB30” for 30% off your subscription***   The IHSA State Finals kicked off on Thursday in Champaign with the 1A and 2A semis.  It was a fun day of action and we let you know what went down in IHSA State Finals: Scotty B's Thursday Notebook!   1A Semi Finals   Goreville Handles Business Advancing to Title Game over Lawrenceville   In the first 1A semi final it was a pair of southern Illinois programs as Goreville topped Lawrenceville 55-47 to move on to the title game.  The stars certainly brought it for both sides!  Goreville junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2632068' first='Nick' last='King'] is a 6'1” two guard who shines in transition, decks it strong with either hand finishing through contact, and can hit a three when they present themselves.  Tough and skilled player who cuts off the ball, passes well, and sticks his nose in on the glass for rebounds.  He went for 20 points (6-10 FG), 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Garrett Church brings a strong bodied forward who loves to let it fly from beyond the arc which is exactly what he did hitting multiple for 9 points (3-7 3PT).  Tommy King brought them a post presence especially in the first half as he had 9 points.  Braden Compton came up clutch down the stretch knocking in 8-12 FT for 8 points and 4 rebounds.   Lawrenceville star 2026 forward [player_tooltip player_id='2481675' first='Jayden' last='Goff'] was the best player on the floor in this game.  Long and rangy senior is a plus athletic with skill.  He has a pure looking shot from beyond the arc knocking in a couple from deep along with a crisp mid-range shot. Finished in a pick/roll, got on the offensive glass, and flashed defensively with his instincts along with athleticism.  Went for 16 points (5-15 FG) (4-5 FT) and 6 rebounds.  D3, NAIA, and JUCOs should be on the unsigned senior!  [player_tooltip player_id='2847854' first='Zander' last='Cessna'] is a crafty lead guard who has a good passing feel running the team finding his teammates particularly Goff.  Mixed in a few jumpers and crafty finishes as he had 9 points and 3 assists.  Lengthy power forward [player_tooltip player_id='2481827' first='Noah' last='Wilson'] used his physical tools defensively swatting several shots, getting on the glass, and to the line.  Also hit a three for 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.  [player_tooltip player_id='2847790' first='Jacek' last='Mickiewicz'] brought an interior presence on the glass and finished in the paint netting 6 points and 6 rebounds.   Transition and Defense Lead Marshall over Eastland in Dominant Performance   What a show Marshall put on in the second 1A semi as they cruised to a win against Eastland 66-38.  The CPS program did it with their relentless defense and transition scoring.  Their ability to get steals for points almost on command was impressive.  Senior long and rangy 6'2” small forward Quinton Gibson Jr plays taller than his height with his length.  Angular forward that rim runs, finishes out of dunker spot, and hit several turnaround jumpers along with floaters for 20 points (10-15 FG) and 6 rebounds.  Liked what we saw out of 2027 6'1” point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2827104' first='Rayvon' last='Myles'] who had a nice mix between scoring and dishing.  Pushed the pace, passed it well on the move, and got to the rack consistently for acrobatic finishes as he had 14 points, 7 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.  Stat sheet stuffer that made a big impression in the win.  Junior [player_tooltip player_id='2411671' first='Amari' last='Kennedy'] is a ranked prospect that came off the bench for Marshall who was a major spark!  Lanky forward that rebounds in traffic, crisp mid-range pull up game, and has a sweet floater as he dropped 8 points and grabbed 8 boards.  DJ Laye is the top prospect long term on Marshall.  In my first eval of him he showed some flashes as a 5'11” lead guard with burst, feel, and slick ball handling.  Maneuvers his body in the lane for finishes and is a pesky on ball defender.  Very good passer displaying his instincts getting teammates involved as he had 8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.   It was a tough night for Eastland as they shot 28 percent from the field and had 19 turnovers.  Not going to beat many teams doing that.  Braden Anderson banged in three triples for them as he notched 11 points.  Wyatt Carroll gave it everything he had with 11 points and 3 dimes.  Their bruising force inside [player_tooltip player_id='2823650' first='Zyacn' last='Haverland'] had 9 points (3-10 FG) and 8 rebounds.   2A Semi Finals   Manual Wins Thriller Against Tolono Unity Behind Defense and Humbles Second Half Dominance   We are used to seeing Peoria Manual do damage in March and they continued that as they won 62-57 against Tolono Unity to move on to the 2A State Championship Game on Saturday.  This game was close throughout and played at a frantic pace.  Manual's constant full court pressure defense finally broke Unity in the fourth quarter as they took the lead and never gave it back.  Manual turned Unity over 19 times which led to 25 points.  That was a huge difference in this game.  As was the play of 2026 forward [player_tooltip player_id='2105417' first='Joshua' last='Humbles'] in the second half.  He scored 16 of his game high 19 points in the second half.  Broad shouldered combo forward that mauled inside on the offensive glass, carved out space, got transition buckets, pushed off steals, and hit several jumpers.  He had 19 points (7-15 FG) (4-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.  Their guard play was fantastic as well.  [player_tooltip player_id='3430159' first='Tahj' last='Tolliver'] played every minute controlling the tempo playing fast, but under control.  He banged in a three, pull up jumper, and lived at the charity stripe.  His active hands were huge in the game as well defensively as he had 13 points (3-8 FG), (6-10 FT), 3 assists, 3 steals, and 3 rebounds.  His running mate [player_tooltip player_id='2734472' first='Reginald' last='Postlewaite'] is another athletic guard, but he has some more bulk to him.  Compact guard was a monster defensively as he snatched steals one after another.  His speed, athleticism, and body control in transition were excellent.  Dropped 13 points, 8 rebounds, 6 dimes, and 7 steals in an awesome performance!  Manual got a nice contribution from [player_tooltip player_id='2734423' first='Jaquan' last='Brown'] especially early in the game as the lanky guard did his damage around the hoop for 10 points.   It was the size for Tolono Unity that did the most damage in this game.  Dane Eisenmenger is a QB in football who we saw light up the 3A state finals and did everything he could for his team in this game. The wing is crafty with the rock in his hands scoring on slashes with his skilled handles.  Put his head down and got to the rack on multiple occasions.  He had 14 points (6-11 FG), 11 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Coleton Langendorf was efficient down low with seals, spin moves, and put backs.  He had 13 points and 5 rebounds.   Quincy Notre Dame's Historic Season Rolls to Finals in Semi Final Win vs Farragut   Quincy Notre Dame moved on to the state title game with a 64-43 win against Farragut. They move to 32-1 on the season. The two biggest difference makers in this game were their passing as a team and a stretch midway through the third quarter where they turned up the full court pressure for a quick 10-0 run which gave them all the room they needed to record the victory. The team passing was awesome as they had 21 assists on 26 made field goals. QND cuts so well off the ball for scores and lived in the lane all game long. Jace Allensworth is a thick bodied power forward who brings skill to the table finishing through contact, hitting mid-range jumpers, and cutting. He had 16 points and 3 assists. Beau Eftink is a guard with slick handles that moves well off the ball, is a crafty finisher, and has a nice feel for the game who had 10 points and 3 assists. Robbie Reed (7 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists) and Gavin Doellman (11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists) scored off movement and using their size scoring in the paint. Sophomore TJ Togrepi put his name on our radar as a 6'1” 2028 lefty guard that gets to the line, has a sweet baseline jumper, and has a good feel for finding others. He notched 10 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.   Farragut's star senior [player_tooltip player_id='1845355' first='Latrell' last='Kelley'] had 23 points (6-16 FG) in the semis.  He had to work for his points, but the tough as nails city guard got to the foul line and used his handles to create for his pull up game.  Shot fakes and crosses set up his moves.  Will be a good small college or JUCO get late in the process.  [player_tooltip player_id='2963274' first='DeAngelo' last='Embrey'] is a rangy and bouncy 6'3” forward that has a feathery jumper from mid-range along with stretching to three on one occasion as he finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds.

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