10 Best: Parkway Central vs Ladue
Ladue (16-7) traveled down the road to Parkway Central (18-6) Monday night and left with an impressive 48-45 road victory. The see saw battle was tied after one quarter. Parkway Central led 22-20 at the half. Ladue rallied to take…
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Continue ReadingLadue (16-7) traveled down the road to Parkway Central (18-6) Monday night and left with an impressive 48-45 road victory. The see saw battle was tied after one quarter. Parkway Central led 22-20 at the half. Ladue rallied to take a 36-32 lead into the 4th quarter. With Ladue clinging to a 44-43 lead with under two minutes remaining in the game, Parkway Central’s 6’1 Sr Charlie Meier came up with a huge steal and finish on the other end to give the Colts a one point lead. Needing a bucket on the ensuing possession, it was Ladue’s 6’6 Jr Evan Schneider who buried a go-ahead elbow jumper and the Rams held on for the win. Here are the “10 Best” from this tight contest.
MVP: 6’7 Sr Moses Okpala – Ladue
Big Moses had a BIG game for the Rams. He was the X-factor finishing with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. The physical forward did an excellent job of picking his poison throughout the game. When he had inside positioning he used his brute strength to finish at the basket including a monster two-handed jam over a defender that gave his team the lead and completely shifted momentum in the 3rd quarter. He showed great patience on his entries and found cutters several times with nice drop off dimes. He got it done on the defensive end as well. While staying out of foul trouble, he was active on the glass, and was a deterrent around the basket.
Most Versatile: 6’6 Jr Devion Harris – Parkway Central
Devion Harris continues to impress and show an expanded game. The rangy, 6’6 forward had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Offensively he showed a versatile skill set. He buried a number of mid-range jumpers from the short corner and elbow. He established himself on the block and went to work, showing soft touch off the fingertips. He also put it on the floor, attacking defenders off the bounce and finishing at the rim. He is always a force on the glass and had a couple highlight reel blocks on the defensive end as well.
Sharpshooter: 6’1 Jr Jaylen Boyd – Ladue
Jaylen has proven his versatility as a scorer throughout the year as well. He may have had the singular most impressive play of the game with a nasty euro and off hand finish in transition. Most importantly though, with Bussard out and McIntosh cold from deep, he buried a pair of huge three pointers in key spots for the Rams. While he prefers to slash to the lane, he is shooting a solid 37.3% clip from range this season.
Mr. Clutch: 6’6 Jr Evan Schneider – Ladue
For most of the game, Evan was held in check on the offensive end. However, in the closing minutes with his team down a point and the home crowd fired up he hit a dagger pull-up jumper from the elbow that gave his squad a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Most Dynamic Duo: 5’9 Sr Mello Ball & 5’9 Sr Jayden Littlejohn – Parkway Central
Devion Harris has had a tremendous season, but a large part of the success the Colts have seen this year is thanks to their quick, pesky backcourt duo of Mello Ball and Jayden Littlejohn. Both are averaging double figures. Both can run the point or wing, and they are both very impressive on ball defenders. Mello is ultra quick with a great first step burst off the bounce. He did an excellent job of getting into the lane and finishing floaters with a soft touch or pulling up from 12-15 with the jumper. He knocked down a big corner three that ended a Ladue run and was a standout defensively. He finished with a game high 14 points. Jayden was off from the field but made some big plays for the Colts. He did an excellent job of driving baseline and finding open shooter or cutters and he also knocked down a huge three to bring his team within one in the 4th quarter.
Most Imposing: 6’7 Sr Moses Okpala – Ladue
Moses is 6’7 250 pounds of solid muscle and was physically dominant on both ends of the floor. He is rated as a 4-star defensive end and is committed to the University of Illinois. Despite being a standout on the football field he moves very well on the basketball floor and knows how to use his size and strength to his advantage.
Most Intriguing Under the Radar Player: 6’4 Jr Cameron Roberts – Parkway Central
Cameron had an efficient 6 point, 7 rebound performance and most of that production came in key situations. He snatched several big offensive boards to extend possessions. He showed some quickness, taking the Ladue big man off the dribble for a driving score. He also took a drive right into the chest of the big man and finished a tough bucket that brought the crowd to life.
Cleaning the Glass: 6’6 Jr Evan Schneider – Ladue
While the crafty scoring forward was held to half his season average scoring, he did not let it effect the rest of his game. He pulled down a dozen boards in the contest, 11 of them on the defensive end. It seemed like every Parkway Central miss came off the rim and into his hands.
Sticky Fingers: Parkway Central Backcourt
The backcourt trio of Mello Ball, Jayden Littlejohn, and Charlie Meier put on a defensive show against Ladue. They combined for 8 steals in the contest. Meier did an excellent job of anticipating and jumping passing lanes. Ball and Littlejohn were relentless on the ball, picking the pocket of Ladue guards numerous times throughout.
6th Man Award: 6’3 Jr Brian Faulkner – Ladue
Faulkner came off the bench and immediately connected on an And-1 score. He proved to be a match-up problem throughout the night, catching inside the arc and attacking to his left. He had 9 points and 3 boards off the bench, providing a nice spark in the road win for Ladue.