Player Evaluations: Gladbrook-Reinbeck races past Wapsie Valley

FAIRBANK -- Dominant second and fourth quarters were the difference on Thursday night, as 1A #10 Gladbrook-Reinbeck outscored Wapsie Valley by a combined 14 points in those two quarters en route to a 58-44 road win. A tight game throughout the first quarter, the Rebels used a 16-8 edge in the second frame to build a six-point halftime lead, a lead that they would never give away in the second half. Gladbrook-Reinbeck (1-0) was led by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id="1167671" first="William" last="Kiburis"], who posted a triple-double of 18 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists in the win. Fellow junior guard Caleb Egesdal led the team in scoring, notching 27 points, including shooting 5-10 from behind the arc. Wapsie Valley (0-1) was led by [player_tooltip player_id="956883" first="Mason" last="Harter"], who had 14 points and a handful of blocks in the loss. [player_tooltip player_id="962601" first="Gunner" last="Meyer"] added 8 points for the Warriors.   <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">Team</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">1Q</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">2Q</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">3Q</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">4Q</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">F</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">Gladbrook-Reinbeck</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">15</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">16</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">15</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">12</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">58</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">Wapsie Valley</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">17</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">8</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">13</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">6</td> <td style="width: 16.6667%; text-align: center;">44</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>   Gladbrook-Reinbeck: Caleb Egesdal 27, [player_tooltip player_id="1167671" first="William" last="Kiburis"] 18, Isaac Clark 5, Luke Riffey 5, [player_tooltip player_id="1158493" first="Tristen" last="Sanford-Anders"] 3 Wapsie Valley: [player_tooltip player_id="956883" first="Mason" last="Harter"] 14, [player_tooltip player_id="962601" first="Gunner" last="Meyer"] 8, Parker Landsgard 7, [player_tooltip player_id="1240097" first="Andrew" last="Westpfahl"] 6, Michael Mann 6, Casey O’Donnell 3   <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/William-Kiburis-crop-4852x3186-1632260355.jpeg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1288254" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/09/William-Kiburis-crop-4852x3186-1632260355-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>PG [player_tooltip player_id="1167671" first="William" last="Kiburis"] (Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 2023) Kiburis was in complete control on both ends of the floor all evening in the Rebels win. He's a long, 6-3/6-4 point guard with excellent court vision and a tremendous feel for the game. He does a great job playing with pace, changing speeds to help get by defenders, and he has a really good feel for when the help is coming, so he can drop off a little pass to a teammate for a layup. He finishes well around the rim with either hand, showing good body control and touch around the bucket, and he uses his length well on the defensive end, showing good timing on jumping passing lanes and turning his steals into powerful dunks in transition. He does a great job passing into his teammate's shooting pocket, so that they don't have to waste any time or motion getting into their shot. He needs to continue to work on developing a more consistent jumper of his own, as that would make him an impossible player to defend at this level. But all in all, a really strong opening showing on both ends of the floor for the junior lead guard who impacts the game in a multitude of ways. SG Caleb Egesdal (Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 2023) Egesdal was often times the beneficiary of Kiburis' excellent court vision, getting open looks from 3 and showing the ability to run the floor and finish with either hand effectively around the bucket. He moves well off the ball and is ready to shoot on the catch with a quick release. He knocked down five 3-pointers in the win en route to a game-high 27 points. On the few occasions that he didn't have his feet squared on the catch, he missed his shots badly, but when he's ready to shoot and squared up, he's a high-level shotmaker. PF [player_tooltip player_id="1158493" first="Tristen" last="Sanford-Anders"] (Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 2022) The 6-5 big man struggled to score inside against Harter, but he showed some promise on the defensive end, blocking 3 shots and pulling down 5 rebounds. He moves his feet well and has good awareness on the defensive end, and does a good job staying vertical and using his pure size and length to contest shots without fouling. He will have better days finishing around the bucket, but his rim protection and rebounding will be key for the Rebels if they want to live up to their high expectations. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/113-Gunner-Meyer-crop-1596x1048-1635950122.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1321277" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/113-Gunner-Meyer-crop-1596x1048-1635950122-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a>SF [player_tooltip player_id="962601" first="Gunner" last="Meyer"] (Wapsie Valley, 2022) Meyer, an athletic 6-4/6-5 wing, seems to be running the point and handling the ball more this year for the Warriors, who lost their top two ball-handlers to graduation. That is a great thing for his development as a prospect, as he has the chance to show that he can handle the ball against pressure, get others involved, and create his own looks. He knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the game, showing a smooth stroke from 3, but we would like to see him attack the rim more often. He seemed to settle for the jumper a bit, and with his improved handle, size, and athleticism, he can get to the bucket more consistently. There is a lot of time left in the season, but the development and improvement of his ball-handling and playmaking is the biggest takeaway from this opener. PF [player_tooltip player_id="956883" first="Mason" last="Harter"] (Wapsie Valley, 2023) Harter had a team-high 14 points to go with a number of blocks. He's a 6-7 big who runs the floor and has great hands. He has good touch around the rim with either hand and can finish through contact. He showed the ability to step out and knock down a 3 in this game, showing a smooth stroke that looks like he's put quite a bit of work into. Adding some more range to his game and allowing him to drag his defender away from the paint will not only be beneficial for the Warriors this season but for his development as he looks toward the next level. PF Parker Landsgard (Wapsie Valley, 2022) Landsgard provided some toughness and physicality in the paint, scoring off of offensive rebounds and on one occasion, with some solid footwork and a finish. He has good hands and some touch around the rim, and he showed some solid awareness on the defensive end, rotating into position when needed.