Drake Team Camp: Saturday Game Recaps
1:00 Xavier vs Atlantic Xavier came away with their first of two wins on the day behind strong first halves from usual suspects. Matthew Mims was brilliant as the team’s floor general, always making the right decision with his passes…
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Continue Reading1:00 Xavier vs Atlantic
Xavier came away with their first of two wins on the day behind strong first halves from usual suspects. Matthew Mims was brilliant as the team’s floor general, always making the right decision with his passes and scoring seven first half points. Max Techau continues to evolve as a stretch-four, he scored eight first half points and was routinely pulling down boards and taking off with the ball up the court. If he can continue to evolve as a ball-handler, he’ll only continue to rise in our 2017 rankings. I had to leave this game early due to conflicting time slots on corresponding courts, so no final score was attained.
2:00 Boone 52 vs Grand View Christian 62
Grand View Christian was utterly impressive in their dismantling of Boone Saturday afternoon. It was 3A Boone’s first loss of the month — they had been 9-0 in team camps coming in — and 1A Grand View Christian led wire-to-wire in the win. The Thunder have added plenty of height to their team — something they lacked season — with 6-foot-7 exchange student Saliu Augustine, and with 6’6 2017 Ian Fleming. Incoming-sophomore Arturo Montes — a 6-foot-4 power forward — was great for GV Christian, he scored a team-high 14. Another new face for the Thunder is our 62nd-ranked 2019 Mach Nyaw. They should be considered one of the favorites to bring home a 1A title next winter.
3:00 Iowa City West 50 vs Roosevelt 48 (OT)
Seybian Sims put in a game-winner at the rim in sudden-death overtime and Iowa City West moved to 2-0 on the day with a hard-fought win over a new-look Roosevelt squad. The ‘Riders showcased their new team with transfers Cade Moritz and Jaquon Hemphill, and Mhiyu Thomas was dominant on both ends of the floor while racking up a game-high 15 points. There was a little extra emotion in this game compared with the others, maybe because of the Hemphill dynamic — he transferred to Roosevelt from West. Or maybe it was because they are clearly two of 4A’s top squads. Whatever it was, it was fun. Sims led Iowa City West with 12 points, he was tremendous all day.
4:00 Creston 42 vs Norwalk 85
Kylan Smallwood was not playing today for Creston, they could have used him. The Warriors looked like a team that will win a lot of games next winter, and could have one of the more dynamic backcourts in the state for the next two seasons. Incoming freshman Bowen Born is a special talent for the Warriors. The son of former Cyclone sharpshooter Michael Born, Bowen is only 5-foot-7 but his skill level is off the charts. He scored 11 and should be a key player next season as a freshman. Luke Vakse was incredible in this one for Norwalk, he scored a game-high 21. Evan Jacobson will have two big years as a skilled and savvy guard for Creston, he led the Panthers with 18 points.
5:00 Iowa City West vs Ankeny
The scoreboard operators were awfully quick to remove the final score from the board, so I have no exact final, but I can say that the Trojans won by about 15, and held a comfortable lead for most if the game. Patrick McCaffery was exceptional, scoring a game-high 23 points, and Seybian Sims chipped in with 10, both will be instrumental to West’s success nest season. Evan Flitz showed what he’s capable of, scoring 12 points, some from deep and some while attacking the rim. Connor McCaffery and Devontae Lane did not play today, but it gave some other guys a chance to shine, and West has plenty of talent on it’s roster. Alpha Touray, a 5-foot-11 senior-to-be led Ankeny with 10 points.