Prep Hoops Indiana State Tournament – Ramsey’s Friday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the perfect event to culminate a busy spring. Believe it or not, the Prep Hoops Circuit has been roaring for two months now. We've followed the circuit around from Chicago, to Indianapolis, to Lafayette and everywhere in between. Now, before heading into the June scholastic period, it is time to crown some champions. This weekend we are hosting the annual Prep Hoops Indiana State Tournament at The Farmers Bank Fieldhouse in Lebanon. Let's empty out the notebook with some takeaways from Friday night's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When your event delivers high quality matchups featuring high quality prospects college coaches will flock to the gym. That was certainly the case with [program_tooltip program_id='2400093' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Tradition'] 17u's first game of the weekend at the Prep Hoops Indiana State Tournament. Huntington head coach Jared Jauch, Trine assistant coach Pete Smith, and Wabash assistant coaches Evan Sizemore and Max Greenamoyer were in the gym to watch a handful of prospects.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game got going with a couple of early three-point shots from left-handed guard [player_tooltip player_id='2470679' first='Logan' last='Sumpter'] (Westfield H.S. 2027). Meanwhile, on the defensive end, [player_tooltip player_id='2125697' first='Reece' last='McKee'] (New Albany H.S. 2027) collected several steals in the opening minutes of the game including a couple of "pick-6" layups. His twin brother, Ashton McKee (New Albany H.S. 2027), joined in as well with a couple of great defensive plays of his own and also connected on a couple of three-point shots. The two super quick, athletic guards are consistently disruptive on the defensive end and simply play harder than everyone else. [player_tooltip player_id='2125697' first='Reece' last='McKee'] was living on the offensive glass as well despite being a 6'0" point guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2140379' first='Jackson' last='Gordon'] (Brownsburg H.S. 2027) was another standout for [program_tooltip program_id='2400093' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Tradition'] 17u. The 6'9" center dominated the offensive glass and finished a few putbacks as well as a couple right hand, left shoulder post moves. However, it was the three pick-and-pop three-point shots that really caught everyone's attention. The big man's smooth shooting stroke will continue to make him an intriguing prospect across a variety of levels heading into the summer months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ultimately, [program_tooltip program_id='2400093' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Tradition'] 17u cruised to a 73-44 opening night victory over 5 Star Basketball - Maust 17u. [player_tooltip player_id='2125697' first='Reece' last='McKee'] led all scores in the game with 15 points while [player_tooltip player_id='2470679' first='Logan' last='Sumpter'] finished with four three-pointers and 15 points. Jackson Gordan added 13 points. It was an all-around impressive showing for one of the best teams in the Prep Hoops Indiana State Tournament field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In other action, the [program_tooltip program_id='2076924' first='EG10' last=''] 17u backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id='2140381' first='Jaedyn' last='Litzlbauer'] (Indianapolis Metropolitan H.S. 2027) and [player_tooltip player_id='2477597' first='Jeremiah' last='Murphy'] (Ben Davis H.S. 2027) finished with 18 points and 17 points respectively in a 72-48 blowout victory. Meanwhile, unsigned senior Gavin Petty (Lawrence Central H.S. 2026) also scored 17 points for [program_tooltip program_id='2076924' first='EG10' last=''] 17u. 6'7" center [player_tooltip player_id='3597302' first='Marqua' last='Curtis'] (Indianapolis Metropolitan H.S. 2027) is an under-the-radar big man to keep an eye on in the rising senior class. He had 12 points and was very active on the defensive end for [program_tooltip program_id='2076924' first='EG10' last=''] 17u. Cooper Smits (Noblesville H.S. 2027) had a team-leading 14 points in the loss for [program_tooltip program_id='2847679' first='Refined' last='Indiana'] 17u.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->