Weekend Recap: Kentucky Juniors Sweep Series from Indiana
The Kentucky Junior All-Stars won both games against Indiana over the weekend. Both teams were missing large pieces as Dontaie Allen and KyKy Tandy were both in California while Indiana was without 5 stars Keion Brooks and Treyce Jackson-Davis who were at Team USA tryouts in Colorado. Here’s a quick look at the standouts for the weekend.
Scott County’s Michael Moreno played very well in both games and flashed a much improved handle. In Saturday’s game he had a nice play where he took one dribble right, crossed behind his back and got to the rim in one dribble with a left handed finish. That’s the sort of thing college coaches want to see in order for Michael to play at the high major level as a wing. Michael combined for 45 points and 19 rebounds in the two games.
Trinity’s David Johnson would likely be runner up to Moreno for the weekend’s MVP if there was one. Johnson scored 51 points in the 2 games while shooting 20/44 from the field (4/13 from 3). In crunch time, Johnson was the go-to scorer for Coach Boo Brewer. Brewer also had 15 rebounds in two games and 8 rebounds with 4 turnovers.
Madison Central big man Isaiah Cozart had 2 solid games over the 2 days. He combined for 20 points, 14 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Walton-Verona’s Dieonte Miles had 11 points and 7 rebounds in Louisville on Saturday but did not play on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Covington Catholic PF Nick Thelen had a double-double Saturday with 10 points and 10 boards. On Sunday, Thelen only put up 2 points and 3 rebounds.
Lexington Christian’s Kyle Rode had a rough Saturday when he went 4/18 from the floor on the way to 8 points and 13 rebounds but was much better on Sunday when he scored 22 points and grabbed 8 boards while shooting 9/15 from the field including 4/6 from 3.
Scott County PG Diablo Stewart was a late addition to the All-Star roster and struggled with his shooting. In the two games Stewart was a combined 2/14 but did have 4 combined assists and no turnovers in over 20 minutes per game.
Clark County’s Jordan Graham played very well in Saturday’s game, logging 13 points and 3 rebounds but had no points on 0/5 shooting He did contribute 6 rebounds in the win however.
All in all, the Kentucky Junior All-Stars should be heartened by the weekend’s performance. Next year’s rematches should be interesting if Tandy, Allen, Brooks and Jackson-Davis all play. It will also be fun to follow and see what next year’s rosters will look like as there were several players on the Junior All-Stars who barely saw the floor this weekend even with Allen and Tandy absent. Likewise, the addition of Diablo Stewart was a surprise and even more surprising that he played as much as he did. Congratulations to Coach Brewer and the Junior All-Stars on the winning weekend!