5 Stars: Eminence vs Springfield Catholic
Prep Hoops was in the house for one of the more intriguing match-ups of the Ozark Mountain Shootout that featured Eminence (ranked #1 Class 1) and Springfield Catholic (ranked #3 Class 3). In a back and forth exciting battle, Springfield…
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Continue ReadingPrep Hoops was in the house for one of the more intriguing match-ups of the Ozark Mountain Shootout that featured Eminence (ranked #1 Class 1) and Springfield Catholic (ranked #3 Class 3). In a back and forth exciting battle, Springfield Catholic’s depth eventually wore down Eminence, the defending Class 1 State Champions, and snapped their 33 game winning streak. There were some big time performances by both teams. Here are the “5 Stars” from this great match-up of state title hopefuls.
1 Star: 6’6 Sr Trent McBride – Eminence
The reigning Class 1 Player of the Year is tough to handle inside and on the glass. The physical forward has a polished back to the basket game and showed off some fancy footwork in the post and soft touch over his right shoulder. He looks to have expanded his game this season. He had a tough face-up jumper, a head’s up give-and-go finish, and a beautiful high-low tip pass to a teammate for a big bucket. He finished with a modest 10 points, but his importance in the game goes beyond the stat line.
2 Stars: 6’5 Jr Will Morrison – Springfield Catholic
The Jr forward was absolutely critical in the big victory for the Irish. He was a spark-plug off the bench with 8 first quarter points including a steal and lay-up to beat the buzzer. He played with high-motor and high energy throughout and was aggressive on the glass. He has a good mid-range jumper and was very opportunistic in the paint. He had a huge “And 1” finish late that essentially put the game out of reach.
3 Stars: 6’1 Sr Charlie O’Reilly – Springfield Catholic
The Sr guard had a complete performance in Saturday’s win. He led the Irish with 17 points and showed the ability to score the basketball in multiple ways. He buried 3 three-pointers and showed off his play-making ability in the lane where he had a number of impressive dimes. He even flashed a post-up jump hook for a bucket. He is smooth off the dribble and has the ability to squeeze in tight spaces and make winning plays.
4 Stars: 6’2 Sr Jake Branham – Springfield Catholic
It was a slow start but a big finish for Jake, who earned an offer from North Arkansas over the weekend. After an early three, Branham was quiet for the rest of the half but turned it on late. He got himself going at the line and when the shot wasn’t falling he started to work effectively from the post. He defended well throughout the night and had a clutch steal late in the game that helped seal the big victory for his team.
5 Stars: 6’2 Sr Grant Dyer – Eminence
Despite the loss, Grant gets our 5 Star award for this game. He was absolutely dominant from tip to final horn, finishing with a game high 32 points. In fact, he scored the first 10 points of the game by himself. He knocked down a couple threes throughout the game, but a majority of his scoring came inside the arc. He is a strong finisher at the rim with contact and can use either hand. His mid-range pull-up is lights out. He makes a living curling hard off screens and finishing. He was hard to guard in transition, scored it in the post, and sat down and played tough on ball defense.