State Tournament Recap: Class C1 and C2 First Round

<p><em>This week brings about the NSAA Boys State Basketball Tournaments in Lincoln. All six classes will crown champions this coming Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena, with the state tournaments stretched out to 5 days instead of the traditional 3-day long weekend format. Here are some prospects who stood out in the first round of play from both the Class C1 and C2 Boys Basketball Tournaments. </em></p> <p><strong>Daniel Frary - 6’6 Senior (Auburn)</strong></p> <p>Though most consider 6’6 to be undersized for post players, Daniel Frary is one of the most fundamentally sound inside players I’ve watched so far this week. He finished Auburn’s opening round victory over Pierce tallying a double-double with 18 points on an efficient 9-11 shooting that included a monster dunk off a nice feed from [player_tooltip player_id="890465" first="Cam" last="Binder"], as well as multiple nice up and under finishes and inside moves as well as 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and a block. Frary stuffed the stat sheet for the Bulldogs as they opened their quest to 3Peat in Class C1. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890465" first="Cam" last="Binder"] - 6’0 Senior (Auburn)</strong></p> <p>While his big man was stuffing the stat sheet, [player_tooltip player_id="890465" first="Cam" last="Binder"] continued to do his thing at the point guard spot. The Nebraska-Kearney commit showcased his elite shooting skill from 3-point range, as well as making some nice passes to open teammates which included some nice post feeds to Frary. Binder finished with 14 points and 5 assists on the game and will be the straw that stirs the drink for Auburn as they look to finish off three straight Class C1 state titles, as well as extending their state-high 60 game winning streak. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890570" first="Brett" last="Mahony"] - 6’4 Junior (Kearney Catholic)</strong></p> <p>I had heard plenty about how fun to watch Mahony is, and he lived up to the hype Wednesday night. Even though Kearney Catholic came up short against Wayne in the C1 opening round, Mahony’s athleticism and skill were on full display, notching 23 points for the Stars and powering inside for strong finishes at the basket. There was even one sequence where Mahony corralled four offensive rebounds on one possession for Kearney Catholic. Mahony can also step outside and hit a 3 when he feels like it. I am now very intrigued by Mahony’s upside and will definitely keep closer tabs on him this summer and going into his senior campaign next winter. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="890467" first="Lucas" last="Vogt"] - 5’11 Senior (BRLD)</strong></p> <p>Vogt had arguably the highlight play of the day across all brackets on Wednesday catching and finishing an alley-oop dunk one-handed. Not every day you see a guard his size get up like that. Vogt continued to do his thing for the Wolverines who are in a rare position as underdogs in this year’s C2 state tournament. Vogt is everything you could ask for in a point guard. Always making the right read and pass on the ball, as well as making the right cuts off the ball. Vogt also defends tough as nails on the defensive end where he is usually at a size disadvantage. Vogt is just plain different and deserves to be getting more attention from schools at the next level. </p> <p><strong style="font-size: 1rem;">[player_tooltip player_id="1007525" first="Dei" last="Jengmer"] - 6’9 Senior (Grand Island Central Catholic)</strong></p> <p>Jengmer tallied a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds in the Crusaders opening-round win in the Class C2 tournament. You don’t see many big men his size playing in Class C2, but both Dei and his younger brother, 6’8 junior Gill Jengmer both showed their ability to score at and around the rim on Wednesday. Gil’s 13 points on the contest helped the brothers combine for 23 points in leading the top-seeded Crusaders in their quest for a state title. Both brothers have good length and athleticism for their position and some schools in the area should definitely have their eyes on both brothers as the week goes on. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>