3A State Finals: Friday Standouts

Scott Burgess March 15, 2019 @ 03:24 PM

The Illinois 3A semifinals were held in Peoria on Friday afternoon. In the first semi Bogan defeated DePaul Prep 51-31. That was followed by an East St. Louis win against Peoria Manual 57-48. Here we dive into the standout performers from the two contests.   PF Rashaun Agee (Bogan – 2019) The state’s top uncommitted post prospect showed out on the big stage in the semis. The strong and broad shouldered 6’8” power forward isn’t known for his perimeter shooting, but he opened the game by knocking down a pair from beyond the arc. He actually participated in the prelims on Thursday for the 3A three point contest. Showed a nice stroke from three. In the paint he finished with power moves and ran the floor with fluidity. Agee was a monster on the glass. Dominant rebounding performance grabbing everything in his area. One of the best rebounders in the class. He had 13 points and 15 rebounds.   G Darrion Jones (Bogan – 2021) Jones is a 5’11” sophomore with a strong and compact build. He was excellent getting loose in the open floor for finishes. Multiple transition scores using his speed to beat opponents down the floor. Also had several nice dishes when going downhill including a sweet alley-oop to Agee. Went for 10 points.   SG Perry Cowan (DePaul Prep – 2019) Cowan was a volume scorer in this game. He shot 6-21 from the field, but had to keep putting it up as the rest of his team couldn’t get anything done in the first half. The Brown commit who is a top 20 senior didn’t have his usual reliable jumper going. He scored in transition on a couple nice dunks. Also was active on the offensive glass getting second chance points. Finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.   G Tyler Johnson (DePaul Prep – 2021) Johnson is a 5’10” sophomore combo guard with a smooth game. He showed flashes of that getting an and-1 off the bounce and connecting on a three on a dribble hand off. Johnson is a prospect we are looking forward to seeing how his game expands this spring.   SF Terrence Hargrove (East St. Louis – 2019) St. Louis Billikens commit Terrence Hargrove made an impact from the jump against Manual. The top 5 2019 prospect plays with such a high motor. He has an intensity about his game on both ends of the floor that really stands out. Defensively he was outstanding swatting shots and altering many others. Also defended well laterally getting his hands on passes creating turnovers with his length. One of the best aspects of Hargrove’s game is his offensive rebounding. Probably the best player at that in Illinois. Left that impression again in the semis with his quick second jump getting four put backs for scores including a huge dunk following a miss by a teammate in transition. The jumper wasn’t falling, but his defense and activity level inside carried him through going for 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 blocks.   PG Jashawn Anderson (East St. Louis – 2020) Anderson is a smaller point guard that can really go. Quick twitched PG with speed pushing in transition. He lives in the lane off dribble penetration. The junior guard gets in the paint where he loves the floater and can also put in acrobatic layups. Also hit a three for 14 points. Needs to cut down on the turnovers tomorrow in the final.   SG Pee Wee Brown (Peoria Manual – 2020) Brown did all he could attempting to carry Manual to a win, but it wasn’t enough. The junior shooting guard has been on a tear lately scoring at will during their state title run. Didn’t knock down many jumpers although he opened with a corner three instead consistently slashing to the hoop where he scored on slithering drives to the cup. Active rebounder on both ends. Got to the line a lot where he could have been better missing quite a few at a 9-17 clip. He had 24 points.   C Joshua Ivory (Peoria Manual – 2020) Ivory is a big bodied junior post that came off the bench to provide rebounding. Moves bodies on the interior and is a solid area rebounder. Not much scoring only netting 2 points, but grabbed 8 rebounds.