STATE TOURNAMENT: Tuesday 1A Stockrisers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Breaking down the play of the top five stockrisers from the first day of the Iowa High School State Tournament in Des Moines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3041731"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69b0cb5ec6e8a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The second-leading scorer throughout the season for MMCRU at 11.9 points per game, [player_tooltip player_id='3041731' first='Wyatt' last='Alesch'] looked like the most complete basketball player on the court against Boyden-Hull. Doing a little bit of everything for the Royals, Alesch made himself look like not only one of the better hoopers in northwest Iowa, but a prospect worthy of a spot on a college roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hitting threes, attacking the rim, getting to the free throw line and attacking the rim on offense, while also using his length and bounce effectively on the defensive end of the floor, Alesch is and was critical too MMCRU's success in the regular season and their quarterfinal victory over Boyden Hull. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2413526"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69b092922b4e0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A sizeable big, especially for the 1A level, KeShawn Deshaw immediately stood out in warmups because of his size and apparent athleticism. A rim-protector that forces opposing offenses to avoid getting into the paint, DeShaw takes up a bunch of space on the court, deterring anyone and everyone from even thinking about putting up a layup or a floater. He's also a presence on the interior as a rebounder, as he grabbed a whopping 13 rebounds in the quarterfinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He may not fill up the bucket or the stat sheet on the offensive side of the ball, but with the right coaching at the next level, DeShaw can be much more impactful on both sides of the court. His athleticism and size should be intriguing, at the very least. He struggled in the first half offensively, but made up for his performance in the second half, shooting 5-of-7 from the field for 13 points and a double-double. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":3551421,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Jaxton Leach","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2027","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Bellevue","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69b092922b628"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The lone non-senior in the starting lineup for Bellevue, Jaxon Leach proved his value for the Comets in their near-upset of Burlington Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. An active defender that can knockdown shots from deep, Leach is the three-and-D player that complements the rest of the roster exactly how it needs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Set to be the guy for Bellevue next season, Leach finished as the third-leading scorer for the Comets, putting up ten points on an efficient 3-of-5 shooting from the floor. Adding three rebounds, three steals and a block, Leach did a little bit of everything. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["3453740"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69b0cb5ec6f42"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Just a freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='3453740' first='Kellan' last='Porter'] looked unfazed in playing on Casey's Center court and at the state tournament for the first time in his first year of high school ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Looking like the Robin to [player_tooltip player_id='1978106' first='Shay' last='Stephens']' Batman at times in the second half, Porter played excellent perimeter defense in the Nikes' 2-3 zone, making Bellevue guards uncomfortable. A compitent and confident ball-handler that can also knockdown free throws with nerves of steel, Porter has some legitimate upside as a scorer and defender. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2906540"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-69b0cb5ec6f89"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A leader on the court for the Defenders, [player_tooltip player_id='2906540' first='Louis' last='Gonner'] was one of the six double-digit scorers going into the state tournament for Marquette Catholic, and the junior stepped up to lead his team in scoring and to the quarterfinals victory. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Putting up a crucial 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor, the point guard made the clutch plays and free throws needed for the Defenders to move on to the semis as the underdog. Adding five assists, Gonner was the playmaker for MC and made the Defenders look like they'll have a shot to unseat MMCRU in the semis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->