Class of 2026 District Championship Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*********</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Missouri takes a look at some of the top young players from the Class of 2026 who were able to make an impact on their district championship teams at the Class 1, 2 and 3 levels. It is always good to see young players who can showcase the poise and savvy to excel in these high-pressure game. These young standouts will be participating in sectional playoff games this evening.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ben Akoro (Principia): A 6'5" wing player who came up big with 17 points in the Panthers victory over St. Vincent in the Class 2, District 4 championship game. He has good length and athleticism and a very quick first step to beat defenders on his way to the basket. His mid-range jumper was butter as he could get into the lane and elevate over defenders. He has the handles and footwork to create his own shot. His future is very bright.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1598820' first='Abraham' last='Nayou'] (Maplewood): A 5'10" point guard who was very good at our Top 250 Expo in September and he went on to have a big freshman campaign, which included a district championship. He had 10 points, three rebounds and three assists in the Blue Devils victory over Brentwood in the finals. With his quickness and ability to attack the basket, he averaged a team-high 15.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and two assists while shooting 48 percent from the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1790004' first='Jaylen' last='Edwards'] (Principia): The 5'10" Edwards was one of most productive freshman point guards in the state. He has excellent quickness and penetrating skills along with his ability to shoot the 3-pointer, which makes him tough to guard. He averaged 16.4 points a game to lead the district championship winning Panthers in scoring. He also shot 39 percent from 3-point range.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ethan Wunderlich (Eugene): A talented young point guard who is a valuable piece of a young nucleus at Eugene which won a Class 2 district championship last weekend. He plays with a lot of savvy and I like his feel for the game. He passes teammates open, handles the ball well and he can hit the open 3-pointer. He also has active hands on his team's full court pressure defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jackson Meyer (Glasgow): A young wing player who has impressive athleticism and can shoot the 3-pointer well to space the floor on a talented offensive team. He knocked down three 3-pointers in the Yellowjackets victory over Higbee in last Friday's Class 1, District x championship game. He also had 10 rebounds and a couple of blocked shots to help the cause.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Owen Vaught (Crane): A 5'9" guard who comes and shoots the ball with a lot of confidence. He made three triples in the 57-44 victory over Billings in the Class 2, District 11 championship game. He also added three rebounds and three assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>********</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>MONDAY'S SECTIONAL MATCH-UPS </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clarkton vs. Richland (Essex), 6 p.m. (at Mt. View Liberty)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>South Iron vs Chadwick, 7:45 p.m. (at Mt. View Liberty)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Orrick vs. Green City, 6 p.m. (at St. Joseph Civic Center)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winston vs. Platte Valley, 7:45 p.m. (at St. Joseph Civic Center)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dadeville vs. St. Elizabeth, 6 p.m. (at Willard)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thomas Jefferson vs. Rich Hill, 7:45 p.m. (at Willard)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leeton vs. Glasgow, 6 p.m. (at Harrisburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Atlanta vs. Brunswick, 7:45 p.m. (at Harrisburg)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>********</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cooter vs. Summersville, 6 p.m. (at Bloomfield)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Advance vs. Principia, 6 p.m. (at Park Hills Central)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weaubleau vs. Wellington-Napoleon, 6 p.m. (at Harrisonville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Plattsburg vs. Bishop LeBlond, 6 p.m. (at Staley)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Clopton vs. Canton, 6 p.m. (at Hannibal)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Salisbury vs. Lincoln, 6 p.m. (at Capital City)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Eugene vs. Hartville, 6 p.m. (at Lebanon)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crane vs. Marionville, 6 p.m. (at Carthage)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>*******</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Class 3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Madrid Central vs. Charleston, 7:45 p.m. (at Bloomfield)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>West County vs. Maplewood, 7:45 p.m. (at Park Hills Central)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lone Jack vs. Lafayette County, 7:45 p.m. (at Harrisonville)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Pius (Kansas City) vs. Milan, 7:45 p.m. (at Staley)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lutheran North vs. South Shelby, 7:45 p.m. (at Hannibal)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Callaway vs. Cole Camp, 7:45 p.m. (at Capital City)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Steelville vs. Thayer, 7:45 p.m. (at Lebanon)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sparta vs. Southwest (Washburn), 7:45 p.m (at Carthage).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->