Sacred Hoops Classic Standouts

<p>The 2nd Annual Sacred Hoops Classic took place yesterday at The World’s Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD. There was a great field of ranked teams from across South Dakota with the first game tipping off at 8am and the final whistle blowing after 11pm. Let’s take a look at some of the standout players from the night games of yesterday’s classic.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="757827" first="Connor" last="Libis"] (Dell Rapid St. Mary)</strong></p> <p>If you follow SD basketball, Connor being on this list shouldn’t shock you. The 5’9 Sr. poured in 43 points in a fast paced, high scoring affair to take down White River who is ranked #4 in Class B. If you give Libis a sliver of light, the ball is going up once he crosses half court. Very quick with the ball. The Briar Cliff commit will see how high he can climb in the South Dakota All-time scoring list before the end of the year.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="975607" first="Ashaun" last="Roach-Valandra"] (Dell Rapid St. Mary)</p> <p>Ashaun is new to this DRSM team this year. He is a 6’3 forward that has the skill to play outside and the size to dominate inside. He added 15 points in the DRSM win and will be a very key piece for the Cardinals as their season progresses. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963747" first="Joe" last="Sayler"] (White River)</p> <p>This was the first time I have had the privilege to watch him play in person and it was as advertised. The 6’3 SDSU commit is incredibly smooth with and without the ball. One of the quicker releases from 3. He led the Tigers with 28 points. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="968165" first="Dylan" last="Marshall"] (White River) </p> <p>The 6’1 guard plays with some of the most intensity and passion you will see in the state. Aggressive with the ball in his hands and even more aggressive in his on ball defense. He poured in 21 points last night in the losing effort. </p> <p>Nicolas Marshall (White River)</p> <p>I wanted to make a note of the 6’ Freshman Nicolas Marshall as well. If you didn’t have a program in front of you, you would not guess #3 is a Freshman. He plays with poise running the point and was tasked with guarding Libis on the other end. He is one I would keep an eye out for in the future.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Slade Cournoyer (Winner)</p> <p>Cournoyer really stood out for the Warriors who were going against a traditionally tough defensive team in Lennox. The 6’ guard looks to have settled in to his role and was aggressive all game. He can step into a transition three with a very smooth lefty stroke. Where he really stood out was his ability to get into the lane and either finish or dish out. He added 13 points but really brought great energy all game. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="963824" first="Blake" last="Volmer"] (Winner)</p> <p>The 6’1 Sophomore is an intriguing prospect. He is lanky and runs the point with good vision and under great control. Blake is excellent on the offensive and defensive glass. One area he has improved into this year is finishing around the rim and is a candidate to breakout for 20+ anytime he steps on the floor. </p> <p>Ethan Bartels (Winner) </p> <p>This was my first time seeing Ethan play in person and he was very hard to miss when he was on the floor. The 6’2 Sophomore plays much bigger than that and is physical at both ends of the floor. Its not often you see a forward playing defense and making steals all 94 feet. He is strong under the rim but will need to look to be more aggressive once he gets the ball down low.</p> <p>Porter Ihnen (Lennox)</p> <p>Porter was one of the most impressive of the day. The 6’4 Freshman was the go to player for Lennox down the stretch and really got them back into the game. Once he got the ball in the post, if he could make it to his left, it was a bucket. In the two games I’ve seen from him this year, I wouldn’t recommend giving him any space for a three. A very nice lefty shot, more of a set shooter than off the dribble right now. Will be very interested to see how he fills out and adds to his game the next 4 years.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="975557" first="Peyton" last="Eich"] (Lennox)</p> <p>Eich is a 6’ Senior guard who went for 20 to lead the Orioles. He was a lights out shooter if you left him space all game. Where I was most impressed with Eich is on the defensive end of the floor. He played physical but smart which is what you would expect from your senior guard. </p>