Standouts: St. Pete Preseason Shootout

<p>On Thursday night, I took in four games as part of the annual St. Pete High Preseason Shootout.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong></p> <p><em>Game 1 - Tampa Bay Tech 83, Dixie Hollins 42</em></p> <p><em>Game 2 - Boca Ciega 66, Jesuit 63</em></p> <p><em>Game 3 - Berkeley Prep 50, Sarasota Riverview 44</em></p> <p><em>Game 4 - St. Pete 69, Strawberry Crest 33</em></p> <p>Here's a look at the standouts from the evening.</p> <h3><strong>Berkeley Prep gets a complete effort from starting five</strong></h3> <p>47 of the 50 points for Berkeley Prep came from its starting five. 2021 6'2" forward <strong>Mark Mulfinger</strong> led the way with a scrappy effort with 11 points. He is a true team player, who battles on the boards and thrives in his role. 2020 6'1" guard <strong>Varun Ajjarupu</strong> (10 points), 2020 6' guard <strong>Kegan Karnes </strong>(9 points) and 2020 6' guard <strong>RJ Garcia </strong>(8 points) all controlled the tempo and made key buckets. 2022 6'6" forward <strong>CJ Hawkins </strong>(9 points) dug in deep in the second half after being held scoreless in the first half. The Buccaneers play close-knit ball and are going to be in most games all season.</p> <h3><strong>Athletic trio help Tech cruise</strong></h3> <p>Over 72 percent of Tampa Bay Tech's 83 points came from the trio of 2021 6'1" guard <strong>Ronnie Johnson</strong>, 2020 6' guard <strong>Ashtin Dore </strong>and 2021 6'3" guard/forward <strong>Jimmie Huff</strong>. Johnson finished with a team-best 24 points and could have easily had 30 or more after a couple of misses inside. He is a lightning bolt down the floor and isn't afraid to take on contact. Dore was red hot from deep and beat the second quarter buzzer with a 3 to total 20 points. Huff might have shown the most overall grit with 16 points. He took a charge with three minutes left and even dove for a loose ball with under one minute remaining. He's a reliable shooter and an intelligent decision maker.</p> <h3><strong>Newton and Radosevich do it all in Boca Ciega rally</strong></h3> <p>Down 16 in the second quarter, 2021 6'4" forward <strong>Jakare Carroll-Newton</strong> and 2020 6' guard <strong>Dayn Radosevich</strong> brought Boca Ciega back. Carroll-Newton continued to drive and get buckets down the stretch. He hit a pair of free throws with under 30 seconds to put his side ahead by three points. Carroll-Newton's length helped him end the night with 20 points. As for Radosevich, he had a few essential 3's late and the sealing free throws with 4.6 seconds left.</p> <h3><strong>Millien looks the part for Riverview</strong></h3> <p>Scoring a team-high 14 points, 2021 6'7" forward <strong>Jayven Millien</strong> was doing all he could against a Berkeley Prep defense that made life awfully rough for his team. He showed off his jumper, versatility as a driver and overall tenacity as a dunker with a 14-point night. Millien is just hitting the peak of his ability and will continue to get better if he continues to stay aggressive. 2022 6'2" guard <strong>Jason Jackson </strong>(7 points) is a super physical piece for this Rams team that will flourish by year's end and 2020 5'11" guard <strong>Matteo Catena </strong>is a crafty point man who controls this offense.</p> <h3><strong>Lenholt is ready to thrive for St. Pete</strong></h3> <p>St. Pete used its entire team in a convincing win over a very young and new look Strawberry Crest team. However, 2020 6'1" guard <strong>Rivers Lenholt</strong> proved he is ready to thrive at his new stomping grounds after playing previously at St. Pete Canterbury. He started the game off quickly with six points in the opening quarter and had four points in a row to start the third quarter. Lenholt recorded a team-best 13 points and is in for a big season as a spot-up shooter and crafty finisher. 2020 6'3" forward <strong>Devin Sengaroun</strong> and 2023 5'8" guard <strong>Hayden McCain </strong>each had eight points for the Green Devils and provide a lot of spark for this group.</p> <h3><strong>Jesuit has legit scorers in Anderson and Weir</strong></h3> <p>It wasn't a pretty shooting night for 2020 6'2" guard<strong> Bennett Anderson</strong>, but he battled the entire game to finish with 19 points. With only six points in the first half, he did all he could for the Tigers, who were going back and forth with Boca Ciega. It was a constant lead change in the game and Anderson was keeping the Tigers around. 2021 5'11" guard <strong>Ryan Weir</strong> had 12 points (four 3's) and each one was bigger than the next. Jesuit's ball movement is refreshing to see at the high school level. Expect Anderson and Weir to carry this group most nights.</p>