3SSB Palmetto Road Championship: Four Thursday headlines

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Day one of the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships offered plenty of angles for takeaways, but I picked out four that left the biggest impression on me following Thursday's slate of games. Expect coverage from Rock Hill, SC throughout the weekend as a champion will be crowned for the 15-17 age groups on Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2194503' first='Blaze' last='Johnson'] proving his worth nationally</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson is a name that has been in the top 40-50 no matter what recruiting service you look at, but his progression over the last couple of months has him trending more and more towards the top 15 territory. Still young for his grade, the southpaw combo guard showed his ability to control the show as the initiator or get off the ball and be the guy who sets are primarily run for in order to get him in his spots. He was outstanding in yesterday's win over Team Lillard to help [program_tooltip program_id='2433307' first='Atlanta' last='Celtics'] advance to the Sweet 16 where they'll face D1 Minnesota on Friday morning. He'd finish the game with 31PTS on a scorching 13/17 from the field. Johnson brought college coaches in droves out to the arena and more are expected on site Friday morning after yesterday's loud outing</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Team Loaded 16s have firepower</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Loaded 16s got off to a bit of a shaky start in their matchup against Wildcat Select on Thursday, but the talent eventually helped recover from the slow start and in the second half, they surged to a 19-point victory. While there were a handful of names responsible for the second half run, it was 2028 Breyln Moss who sparked the uptick in energy after he threw down a posterizing slam that drew the whistle in the air. Moss' energy overall was the catalyst in what eventually would be a near 20-point victory, but after his high-flying antics other names such as 2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2916403' first='Eziah' last='Goodson'], 2028 Xavier Hall and 2028 Kelvin 'Pop' Anderson all had their hands in the effort. Hall is a massive paint presence who uses his elite size to protect the rim, dominate the glass and as he showed yesterday, finish whenever he's in the vicinity of the rim as he went a perfect 6-for-6 in his 12-point outing. Loaded advances to Sweet 16 play and if they sustain their energy from yesterday's matchup, they'll be a tough club to stop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[program_tooltip program_id='2863440' first='Game' last='Elite'] backcourt duo is worth the price of admission</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2863440' first='Game' last='Elite'] 16s caught my attention yesterday and it was largely due to the backcourt tandem of King Hernandez and [player_tooltip player_id='2891386' first='Shamar' last='Madden']. Madden is a 6'4" combo guard who is wired to put the ball in the basket. He brings size, wiggle and burst that allows him to get downhill and live in the paint where he played off two in the proceess of finishing soft-touch floaters, mid-range jumpers or crafty scoop layups. He was good for 19PTS and 6REBS in the win over a pesky 99OVR team who was without their bell cow in Josiah Rose. King Hernandez does much of the ball handling and initiating in the half court for this group, but brings another punch to the box score alongside Madden. He can do a little bit of everything from a scoring perspective and picks his spots well depending on how the defense is guarding him. He can drive and process rotations quickly, bring an on-ball presence defensively and supplies a maturity in running his team while keeping the defense on their toes at all times. Hernandez finished this one with 14PTS, 6REBS and 3ASTS.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Makel Minor a big addition for New World</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the last two weeks, Minor has proven to be a valuable add for New World 17s as they now have a floor general who brings the presence as a threat from both a scoring and playmaking perspective. He engineered a big win over [program_tooltip program_id='2863440' first='Game' last='Elite'] yesterday to advance to Sweet 16 play. Minor's ability to handle under pressure, create for himself off the bounce and make quick reads off the live dribble getting into driving lanes demanded the defense's attention every possession. One aspect of Minor's game that has improved over the years is no matter his production on the offensive side of things, he takes his individual matchup defensively with great pride. Lining up against one of the top guards in the country, [player_tooltip player_id='2075194' first='Kevin' last='Savage'] (Purdue), is no small task and Minor took the challenge head-on as his 11PTS may not jump off the page as a groundbreaking performance, but his impact was felt way beyond the box score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->