Riverside-Brookfield: Teddy’s Friday Notebook (pt 2)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's part 2 to my notebook from Fridays action. a photo gallery will be published after the soccer game tonight. Go USA!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lockport Doesn't Slow Down Without Venckus Twins</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The potters were without the Venckus twins this afternoon vs Brother Rice, but it did not stop them. Nathan Munson is a guy I've watched for a while and he really set the tempo for Lockport. Dishing out a dime and stepping into a three-pointer early on. There were also plenty of contributions from other guys including [player_tooltip player_id='2835801' first='Grady' last='Ruane'], a 6'2" point guard with a solid athletic build. As well as Christian Whitaker, a 2027 forward with strong post moves. I was also a fan of the upside from 6'3" wing [player_tooltip player_id='3415797' first='Jayde' last='Wyett'], who showed some elite length and versatility. The long-term potential is surely there. Later on, I saw 5'10 G Jayden Desoto make some plays which included a tough and-one conversion off a floater. To keep them ahead, it was Munson who made multiple three-pointers while dishing out some solid dimes. Wyett also drilled a pair of threes and Ruane converted a key and-one to secure the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2632084' first='Daniel' last='Salkauskas'] makes a huge impact</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Salkauskas is a difference-maker for Brother Rice, [player_tooltip player_id='2632084' first='Daniel' last='Salkauskas'] really showed up. Super lengthy 6'7" forward that's&nbsp; able to score from anywhere on the floor. The crusaders had a slow start vs Lockport, but his shooting got them out of a slump where it became a very enticing contest later in the game. A cutting layup eventually cut their deficit to just one point at halftime. They took the lead as he tipped in a bucket off two missed shots in the paint while making it look easy against a shorter Lockport team. Then stopped another Lockport run later on with a contested 3-pointer in the corner. The kind of guy that makes crucial plays for your team when necessary.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New look for the 4A Champs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Marist lost a ton from last season's 4A champs. But they started incredibly strong vs Joliet west with an early 12-2 advantage. Much thanks to 2027 W Kendall Meyers who's taking a huge step upward. He made difficult finishes inside look easy and made an impact with the strides he makes towards the rim. 2028 G [player_tooltip player_id='3660750' first='Amari' last='Brown'] and 2027 G Tyce Bullock each hit a pair of triples to keep Marist up comfortably early on. A transition score from Bullock eventually made it a 20-pt game in the first half. Later on, 2027 W Matt Greene Jr stepped up and made some nice plays as a passer in addition to 6'1" guard Tyce Bullock knocking down some shots. It became a 30-pt game when Meyers hit another triple. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Promising underclassmen on Guilford and Bradley-Bourbonnais</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>My final game of the afternoon saw Rockford Guilford face off with Bradley Bourbonnais. This was my first chance to look at quite a few names. One of which being Guilford freshman Marmadou Baker. The 2030 Forward is currently 6'6" with tons of room to grow. Showcasing some nice finishes around the rim and boxing out at a solid rate. He's an impact guy already as a freshman for Guilford. For Bradley-Bourbonnais a sophomore duo in [player_tooltip player_id='2862587' first='Dajuan' last='Brown'] and Jakobi Pierce caught my attention as they can make plays anywhere on the floor. A deeper analysis to their games will be shared in my evaluation lists later this week. This matchup was highly competitive&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->