Saturday doubleheader: Best all-around

<p>Below is a list of the standouts from back-to-back games I attended Saturday, Jan. 2: Crossings Christian versus Metro Christian and Casady versus Classen SAS.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="955383" first="Reid" last="Lovelace"] | 2022 Crossings Christian PG</strong></p> <p>Lovelace put on a clinic against Metro Christian on Saturday, notching 26 points and getting the ball to his teammates with similar efficiency.</p> <p>He distributed the ball into some <em>tight </em>windows, the kind of passes that make you wonder if Lovelace has a sixth-sense for the positioning of his teammates. Even if his ability to move the ball is predicated on the system enacted by Crossings' coaching staff, it was his ability to execute those dishes that represent his talents as a playmaker.</p> <p>Lovelace shot the ball, if not well, better than his usual from 3-point range, while maintaining his threat on the drive. He also put some nasty spin moves on defenders on the drive, and if not for a couple that rimmed out, he would have racked up 30 or more.</p> <p>Speaking of his drive, I was impressed by his understanding of balance -- his own as well as those who guarded him. Depending on the situation, he put his body into opposing defenders <em>or</em> pulled himself away, causing those defenders to either tighten on him or lunge towards him. From there, he spun across them, passed to a baseline-cutter, or used a step to gather to the rim.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="967403" first="Tony" last="Palma"] | 2022 Classen SAS CG</strong></p> <p>After Turner got into foul trouble early, Palma absolutely took over for Classen, and as he put the ball in the hole, the Comets separated further from Casady.</p> <p>He was absolutely the engine Saturday night, especially during the second and third quarters when he scored a combined 13 points, and it was exactly during those two quarters that Classen started to push the Cyclones in the deficit.</p> <p>Palma is a bit taller than I realized, standing closer to 6-foot-1, and he has loads of speed, energy and skill to his game. He shot the ball exceptionally well, and was great finishing through contact.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953451" first="Anthony" last="Turner"]</strong> | 2021 Classen SAS G</p> <p>Turner, though, he struggled with foul trouble early in the game, still pieced together quite an impressive performance.</p> <p>He scored 15 points, including a 10-point first quarter and some smooth finished characteristic of Turner's outstanding offensive game. He Especially scoring from the short corner, Turner just refused to be stopped, including one silky up-and-under finish during the third quarter.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="938864" first="Ian" last="Sluice"]</strong> | 2021 Metro Christian CG</p> <p>Sluice finished with 17 points in a strong offensive performance.</p> <p>The 6-foot-4-inch guard moves well, uses his body to his advantage, and can play the one-through-four depending on the offensive set schemed by the Metro staff.</p> <p>Sluice did it all: he distributed the ball from the one, drove to the rack from the two, spotted-up out of the three, and he even did a little posting-up out of the four.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1015824" first="Grant" last="Gessert"]</strong> | 2022 Metro Christian G</p> <p>Gessert was an absolute marksman against Crossings on Saturday in a 19-point outing.</p> <p>The senior converted on five 3-pointers, and the rest came on 4-of-4-shooting from the charity stripe. For a pure spot-up shooter, you can hardly ask for a better performance.</p> <p>An uncommitted prospect, Gessert is certainly a sharpshooting guard who can play at the collegiate level, and somebody at the NAIA-level would benefit to have him on-roster.</p> <hr /> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="953448" first="Camari" last="Smiley"]</strong> | 2021 Classen SAS F</p> <p>Despite playing on what appeared to be a compromised ankle, Smiley scored 11 points in the second quarter against Casady to help propel the Comets to the win, and he did so in just about every way.</p> <p>He hit a 3, took the ball to the rack, finished with either hand, and hit free-throws.</p> <p>Defensively, he was also a major asset to the Comets as he defended one of the best post-scorers in the state -- and Casady's No. 1 scoring option -- and almost equaled him in the scoring margin during the second half. It would have been hard to ask any more from Smiley.</p>