SAC Holiday Tournament Quarterfinals Top 10 Performances
With conference teams battling in a tournament format all within a few days it can provide some spectacular performances as familiar foes battle. The SAC Holiday Tournament quarterfinal round did not disappoint in that regard. Over four games between eight…
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Continue ReadingWith conference teams battling in a tournament format all within a few days it can provide some spectacular performances as familiar foes battle. The SAC Holiday Tournament quarterfinal round did not disappoint in that regard. Over four games between eight of the conferences’ teams, here are the 10 top performances ranging from prolific scoring outbursts to stat-sheet stuffing games.
10. Concordia’s Mitch Paradine: 15 points, three rebounds. Paradine’s long range shooting was on in the quarterfinal loss to North Side. He connected on five of his eight 3-point attempts to help the Cadets battle North Side close until late in the game.
9. Carroll’s Kyle Mallers: 12 points, 10 rebounds, two assists. This was not Mallers best shooting night. In fact, he didn’t score until the fourth quarter, but he did so many other things for the Chargers in this performance. And despite the struggles scoring, he still got to the double-double as Carroll turned a three-point lead in the fourth quarter into a double digit win.
8. Bishop Luers’ Ray Walker: 23 points, three rebounds, three steals. The guard was a huge scoring bright spot for the Knights in their loss to Homestead. Walker got his 23 on 19 shots, but also helped create some easy transition baskets for his teammates as he cut into passing lanes.
7. Homestead’s Tahj Curry: 16 points, seven rebounds, two blocks, 1 steal: Curry did just about everything for Homestead. He was the main defensive presence, flying all over the court, and he attacked the basket and the boards to be the leader for the Spartans.
6. North Side’s Keion Brooks, Jr.: 17 points, four rebounds, one block. The freshman continues to impress. He struggled in the first half, scoring just two points, but didn’t get flustered. Then, he showed his abilities to do nearly everything offensively by making threes, driving into the basket and hitting pull-up jumpers.
5. North Side’s Jaylen Butz: 10 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks. Butz double-double showed why he is so skilled once again. It wasn’t his best shooting effort and he certainly could have had more points had he been better than 40 percent from the free throw line, but he still contributed immensely in other ways.
4. Carroll’s Jacob Redding: 23 points, six rebounds. Redding shot so well in the first half he forced South Side out of its 2-3 zone. Redding connected on 10 of his 20 shots, including 5-for-7 from deep to lift Carroll in its quarterfinal win. He showed why he is a shooter other teams must always account for in this one.
3. Homestead’s Jack Ferguson: 25 points, seven rebounds. Ferguson was on fire from 3-point range, connecting on five of his seven 3-point attempts. His shooting lifted Homestead in the second half as he scored 20 of his 23 points then and he crashed the glass well against a tall Luers frontline.
2. Northrop’s Jagger Surface: 32 points, nine rebounds, one assist. Surface’s scoring output moved him into a tie for 18th in the tournament’s single game scoring record book. That ties him with prolific scorers like James Blackmon Jr. and Deshaun Thomas. He did so by attacking the basket and at times being Northrop’s only option offensively. He scored 21 of the Bruins 31 first half points.
- Snider’s Malik Williams: 25 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks. There were plenty of great plays and games over the quarterfinal round, but it is hard to argue against Malik Williams outstanding effort against Northrop. He also did it efficiently by scoring his points on 12 shot attempts and made all six free throws. Not only did the junior put up plenty on the offensive end, but he chased Jagger Surface around on the defensive end after Surface started so strong and held him scoreless in the third quarter.