Evaluations: Cardinal Ritter vs. Brebeuf Jesuit

In one of the best early season matchups in the state, 3A Sectional opponents, Brebeuf Jesuit and Cardinal Ritter, went at it on Tuesday night.  In the end, Cardinal Ritter missing Spencer Turner really hurt and they weren’t able to keep up with Brebeuf as they won 60-45.  The Braves were led by Simon Banks with 18 points, 5 rebounds.  Cardinal Ritter was led by Nate Soltis with 14 points, 4 rebounds. Henry Goldenburg - 6’0 PG 2018 - Brebeuf Jesuit (IN) - Goldenburg is a lead guard with a lot of poise and toughness. Created a lot of opportunities for Brebeuf as he was able to get some steals on pressure up top.  He’s not flashy but effective and really confident with the ball in his hands. Doesn’t make many mistakes and sets the tone for his team.  Has a decent jumper and while he only scored 5 points, he looked capable of putting up bigger numbers on offense. Jacob Pressler - 6’5 PF 2018 - Brebeuf Jesuit (IN) - Pressler is an undersized forward who doesn’t do anything pretty but is so effective and efficient, it is really hard to stop him.  He’s strong and has a solid base so when he gets into the low block area he can overpower defenders and get his shot off by creating space with his body.  Has some mobility to him and has great hands where he can be an effective rebounder as well.  Good low risk, high production player for Brebeuf right now. Myja White - 6’0 PG 2018 - Brebeuf Jesuit (IN) - The first half of this game wasn’t great as he was held scoreless into the second quarter but did knock down a pair of triples on back-to-back plays.  He was consistently working the boards and showed an improvement in his rebounding ability, allowing him to start up fast breaks.  His jumper wasn’t really big for him so in the second half he was more about driving into the lane and found some free throws because of it. He finished with 12 points on 3/8 shooting to go along with 8 rebounds. Brennan Fitzgerald - 6’6 PF 2018 - Brebeuf Jesuit (IN) - Fitzgerald was really good in the first three quarters of this game. While he pressed a bit late and missed some shots, he was really good early on using his jumper and post scoring really well. He’s really mobile which allows him to get into better position.  He can stretch things out and does a lot better as a guy that can face-up in the mid-range and create. Able to put the ball on the floor, Ritter couldn’t really matchup with his agility.  This was a game where he showcased how he could be used that the next level. He finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds on 5/14 shooting. Simon Banks - 6’2 SG 2019 - Brebeuf Jesuit (IN) - Banks wasn’t a great version of himself in this game but at the end of the day, he finished with 18 points and 5 rebounds.  He had a few lapses with his passing and his perimeter jumper was off but where Banks excelled was in his ability to get into the lane and create contact.  Got to the free throw line a lot and that was a big reason why Ritter wasn’t able to finish their comeback in the second half.  He went 10/13 from the free throw line and 4/8 from inside the three-point line.  If he can finish more of those drive-to-contact opportunities, he could see a rise in his production. Jumper should come back as he’s shown he can hit shots. If this is a low-end game, could see him have a big year. Miles Tracy - 6’6 SF 2018 - Cardinal Ritter (IN) - Tracy was really impressive in this game. While his offense was stagnant in the first half, he was still rebounding well and did a great job defending Myja White.  He was mobile enough to keep him in front of him and didn’t let him get many shots in general.  However, in the second half he started to get things going as he attacked the rim and showed some athleticism and creativeness with his drives.  If he can continue to grow off the bounce and still hit threes, he’s going to give a college program a lot of options to use him. Versatility was showcased in this game as he finished with 12 points on 4/9 shooting along with 10 rebounds. Nate Soltis - 6’6 PF 2019 - Cardinal Ritter (IN) - This was a bad game for Nate. He pressed a lot and for good reason. Without a difference-maker at guard, Tracy and Soltis had to handle the ball more than they would have to normally and for guys 6’6 and taller, that is a difficult task.  Nate did push through and start to make more effective plays in the second half. He was solid in transition and was better on the block once Tracy started to get some offense going too.  Soltis finished with 14 points and 4 rebounds on 6/15 shooting.