Top Players & Unknowns from the Extravaganza Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a week of being frozen in throughout northwest Louisiana, Mal Mundy's Extravaganza Classic brought teams from north, south, and east Louisiana to play at Calvary Baptist. The early games saw stalwarts like Huntington, Rayville, Ouachita, and Captain Shreve lace it up and hit the hardwood. Some of the top players in each class hit the floor along with their teammates and gave a special effort with little to no practice because of being frozen in. In this PHLA exclusive, we will look at some of the best players from the games attended on Saturday in Shreveport.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600639' first='TJ' last='Grider']</strong> - The Evangel big man showed why he is a force in the paint during the Eagles win over Ouachita. His ability to score on the block was impressive as he scored almost at will. Grider was Charles Barkley-like and bullied defenders in the paint. He also stepped out beyond the three point and showed his touch. Very impressive game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1105532' first='Braylen' last='Clark'] -</strong> Clark and his ability to facilitate made scoring easy for his teammates. He always had his head up and looked to penetrate and score or penetrate and kick. Clark even stuck his nose in to rebound. His effort at the point for Evangel definitely helped them secure the win on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2466393' first='Zion' last='Hunter'] -</strong> The sophomore guard was a ray of sunshine in the Lions loss in Shreveport. At 6'1", he was able to shoot over the Evangel guards and displayed a good stroke from behind the three. Hunter is a good rebounding guard as well. Being an underclassmen, he must get stronger. However, with the basketball skill he showcased, Ouachita may have a bonafide prep star on their hands. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1492966' first='Lantavious' last='Murphy'] -</strong> There are few players like Murphy on the high school scene. On Saturday, he showed the complete basketball player he is in the Hornets win over Huntington. Murphy initiated the offense with by rebounding and pushing or just bringing the ball up. He drove to the cup and scored or got fouled. Murphy even defended all five positions on various switches. He is as complete a basketball player as there is today. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1697930' first='Jacob' last='Stewart'] - </strong>Even in their loss to Rayville, Stewart showed why he is a point guard of high value to his team. Jacob was relentless in his attacks of the paint and he constantly put pressure on the Rayville defense. His ability to drive created opportunities for his teammates during the game was exceptional. He also defends at a high level on the perimeter. Stewart is a very good point guard. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1560430' first='Rondae' last='Hill']</strong> - The Henderson State commit showed why he is one of the top point guards in the state with his overall floor game and his flair for the dramatic. His ability to drive and find shooters is uncanny. He also hit the shot that sent the game to overtime. Hill is a point guard who plays hard from buzzer to buzzer and showed that again on Saturday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1330583' first='Zion' last='Weeks'] - </strong>If there was any doubt in Zion's level of guard play, he dismissed all doubts during the Wossman win over Calvary. He was the most consistent WIldcat guard on the day. His offense, from all levels, kept his team in the game. He also led the charge when the Wildcats turned their defensive pressure up with his on-ball and help defense. When it came to performing on both ends of the floor, Zion was the man. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Even though district play has begun, there will be other Saturday showcases like this until the end of the season. Hopefully the competition will be as good as this one was at Calvary. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->