Top Performers on the Hardwood from East Texas to Lake Charles

I-49 , I-10, I-20, and Highway 171 have seen a lot of hoops since Thanksgiving. From Festgiving in New Orleans (I-10) to Marshall High (I-20) top players to unknown preps have made solid showings on the hardwood. The Red River Hoopfest (I-49) and the Showdown in the Lake (Hwy 171) were no exceptions as they had some of the top teams from Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana in their respective events. In this Prep Hoops two-part exclusive, I will take a look at some of the top player performances from the post-Thanksgiving action in both areas. [player_tooltip player_id="1127255" first="Sedric" last="Applewhite"] - Bossier (’22) Quarterfinal day at the Showdown in the Lake was a good day for Applewhite. The McNeese football signee flexed his rebounding prowess along with his improvement in attacking the rim from the perimeter. Applewhite also made perimeter shots when scoring was at a minimum in the first half. His 10 first half points (15 in all) was key in Bossier leading at halftime and ultimately winning the matchup by twenty. Damen Augustus - Texas High (’23) I got my introduction to Damen Augustus at the Red River Hoopfest during the Texas High blowout win of Little Rock Hall. Augustus is player who can get up and down the floor in transition and plays well off of his guards. He and his point guard made eye contact on an alley-oop that almost looked choreographed. Augustus also showed the ability to get to the rim with the drive and shoot from the perimeter. He is one to watch as Texas High goes deeper into their season. Robert Bellard - Marshall High (’23) The Marshall post was back in his home gym during a Friday tilt with Jacksonville the day after Thanksgiving. Bellard looked more comfortable on the floor and it showed with his attacks to the rim. They were decisive and mostly productive. In a low scoring affair, he had double figures in points (11) with five plus rebounds and a couple of steals as well. Bellard does not back down from contact and is as solid as they come as a post scorer despite the loss to Jacksonville on this day. [player_tooltip player_id="1218216" first="Jayce" last="Depron"] - Madison Prep (’24) Depron showed why he is one of the top rated players in the Louisiana class of 2024 with his 17 point effort during the Showdown in the Lake. Depron can really knockdown the three ball as he did during this game with three makes. However, his man-to-man defense was one of the reasons the Chargers were up as much as 31 at one point in the game. His ability to steal the ball as the primary defender and change ends is top tier. His combination of athleticism and shooting was a help in Madison winning this game and the tournament as a whole. [player_tooltip player_id="1106082" first="Turner" last="Duncan"] - St. Augustine (’24) Duncan had a good game against North Central despite the blowout loss. He was very proficient from behind the arc as he scored 17 points connecting on 5 three pointers. Duncan was good at handling the pressure from the Hurricanes and did not seem rattled when he had the ball in his hands. He is a sophomore with plenty of potential. At 6’3", Duncan has the talent to be one of the better point guards in the state. Jayden Godwin - Texas High (’22) Godwin may be a 5’6" senior but he knows his way around the front court. During the Texas High defeat of Little Rock Hall, Godwin displayed speed and quickness like other smalls guards. However, his ability to shoot and rebound was high level stuff for someone his size. He had two three pointers (both from about 23 feet) during his 15 point outing and mixed it up with the big boys for a total of six boards. His 5 steals created transition situations for Texas High and showed that he is a solid defender. He may be small in stature, but he is a very mature point guard. Victorian High - Jacksonville (’22) High was the primary catalyst in the Jacksonville win over Marshall during Thanksgiving break. While he only scored 11 points during the game, he aggressive play a driving force in the Maidens win. He was aggressive from the jump with straight line drives to the rim. He had a breakaway dunk as well reading the point guard and picking his pocket. High was also spot up and made two threes on the day. High is obviously a player who sparks the team and gives them energy boosts as he did during this victory. [player_tooltip player_id="1211105" first="Marquis" last="Harris"] - Bossier (’22) Harris showed what type of inside presence he can be for Bossier during their quarterfinal win over Peabody. His 15 point second half saw a player driven to make a difference. He was 5-5 from the charity stripe and had a ’body-catching" dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy. When Harris is engaged in that manner, he is very hard to contain. Bossier went on to lose in the final. However, Harris showed what kind of game changer he can be with that second half performance. Look for part two of this exclusive as I highlight more players from Louisiana and Texas who handled their business on the hardwood during post-Thanksgiving contest in both states.

I-49 , I-10, I-20, and Highway 171 have seen a lot of hoops since Thanksgiving. From Festgiving in New Orleans (I-10) to Marshall High (I-20) top players to unknown preps have made solid showings on the hardwood. The Red River Hoopfest (I-49) and the Showdown in the Lake (Hwy 171) were no exceptions as they had some of the top teams from Arkansas, Texas, and Louisiana in their respective events. In this Prep Hoops two-part exclusive, I will take a look at some of the top player performances from the post-Thanksgiving action in both areas.

Sedric Applewhite Sedric Applewhite 6'6" | SF Bossier | 2022 State LA - Bossier (’22)

Quarterfinal day at the Showdown in the Lake was a good day for Applewhite. The McNeese football signee flexed his rebounding prowess along with his improvement in attacking the rim from the perimeter. Applewhite also made perimeter shots when scoring was at a minimum in the first half. His 10 first half points (15 in all) was key in Bossier leading at halftime and ultimately winning the matchup by twenty.

Damen Augustus - Texas High (’23)

I got my introduction to Damen Augustus at the Red River Hoopfest during the Texas High blowout win of Little Rock Hall. Augustus is player who can get up and down the floor in transition and plays well off of his guards. He and his point guard made eye contact on an alley-oop that almost looked choreographed. Augustus also showed the ability to get to the rim with the drive and shoot from the perimeter. He is one to watch as Texas High goes deeper into their season.

Robert Bellard - Marshall High (’23)

The Marshall post was back in his home gym during a Friday tilt with Jacksonville the day after Thanksgiving. Bellard looked more comfortable on the floor and it showed with his attacks to the rim. They were decisive and mostly productive. In a low scoring affair, he had double figures in points (11) with five plus rebounds and a couple of steals as well. Bellard does not back down from contact and is as solid as they come as a post scorer despite the loss to Jacksonville on this day.

Jayce Depron Jayce Depron 6'5" | CG Madison Prep | 2024 State LA - Madison Prep (’24)

Depron showed why he is one of the top rated players in the Louisiana class of 2024 with his 17 point effort during the Showdown in the Lake. Depron can really knockdown the three ball as he did during this game with three makes. However, his man-to-man defense was one of the reasons the Chargers were up as much as 31 at one point in the game. His ability to steal the ball as the primary defender and change ends is top tier. His combination of athleticism and shooting was a help in Madison winning this game and the tournament as a whole.

Jamal Smith Jamal Smith 6'2" | SG L.B. Landry | 2024 State LA - St. Augustine (’24)

Duncan had a good game against North Central despite the blowout loss. He was very proficient from behind the arc as he scored 17 points connecting on 5 three pointers. Duncan was good at handling the pressure from the Hurricanes and did not seem rattled when he had the ball in his hands. He is a sophomore with plenty of potential. At 6’3", Duncan has the talent to be one of the better point guards in the state.

Jayden Godwin - Texas High (’22)

Godwin may be a 5’6" senior but he knows his way around the front court. During the Texas High defeat of Little Rock Hall, Godwin displayed speed and quickness like other smalls guards. However, his ability to shoot and rebound was high level stuff for someone his size. He had two three pointers (both from about 23 feet) during his 15 point outing and mixed it up with the big boys for a total of six boards. His 5 steals created transition situations for Texas High and showed that he is a solid defender. He may be small in stature, but he is a very mature point guard.

Victorian High - Jacksonville (’22)

High was the primary catalyst in the Jacksonville win over Marshall during Thanksgiving break. While he only scored 11 points during the game, he aggressive play a driving force in the Maidens win. He was aggressive from the jump with straight line drives to the rim. He had a breakaway dunk as well reading the point guard and picking his pocket. High was also spot up and made two threes on the day. High is obviously a player who sparks the team and gives them energy boosts as he did during this victory.

Marquis Harris Marquis Harris 6'5" | SF Bossier | 2022 State LA - Bossier (’22)

Harris showed what type of inside presence he can be for Bossier during their quarterfinal win over Peabody. His 15 point second half saw a player driven to make a difference. He was 5-5 from the charity stripe and had a ’body-catching" dunk that sent the crowd into a frenzy. When Harris is engaged in that manner, he is very hard to contain. Bossier went on to lose in the final. However, Harris showed what kind of game changer he can be with that second half performance.

Look for part two of this exclusive as I highlight more players from Louisiana and Texas who handled their business on the hardwood during post-Thanksgiving contest in both states.