Ten Best: Nathan Hale Raiders vs Franklin Quakers
Franklin embarked Gary Case Court at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle as Raiders won in blowout fashion 91-55. 1/10/17 MVP: Michael Porter Jr. Despite playing only 2 and a half quarters of basketball Michael Porter Jr finished with…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingFranklin embarked Gary Case Court at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle as Raiders won in blowout fashion 91-55. 1/10/17
MVP: Michael Porter Jr. Despite playing only 2 and a half quarters of basketball Michael Porter Jr finished with 42 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists before being tossed out of game with 2 separate technical fouls in 3rd Quarter.
Best Offensive Performance: Michael Porter Jr. Not only does he demand a double team at all times it’s the little things he can do like being automatic from free throw line as he went 13 for 13 against Quakers. He can pull up on a dime anywhere or anytime while getting his shot off whenever he pleases. Porter is mostly coveted for his highlight plays but literally has the whole package.
Best Defensive Performance: Jontay Porter. Having 19 rebounds and 7 blocks gets any defense excited especially Raiders Head Coach Brandon Roy while protecting the paint all night. He continues to be a beast inside and can extend his defense full court. His shot blocking ability is impressive as he can bat almost anything out of the gym.
Best Guy Off the Bench: Freddie Brown III. The stats don’t show it but Freddie Brown III played a key role with valuable minutes off the bench. Creating fast break opportunities with his offense and timely defense, Brown showed the team can depend on him with his deep skill set. Both teams relied heavily on starters for most of game for 3 quarters.
Best Under the Radar Performance: Maurice Barnett. Franklin got 18 points, 10 rebounds, and a couple high flying dunks from the 2018 versatile wing. This team will continue to need his presence on offense and defense.
Best Underclassmen: P.J. Fuller. Raiders got 12 points, 7 assists which were pretty much all highlights for the 2019 #1 ranked sophomore in the state. He continues to impress every game with his athleticism, long distance range, as his jump shot matches his dribble drive. It is going to be scary to see how dominate Fuller will be in years to come.
Best Story to watch Moving Forward: How Franklin can respond? The Quakers have Chief Sealth on Friday as they enter the matchup 7-6 (3-5) and need a home victory. With combo guard Marquan Williams adding 18 points and 5 assists vs Hale it showed if they get the usual bulk from CeJay Garrison Jr. who was quiet on Tuesday, should poise Franklin for a stronger second half of Metro League play.
Best Aspect of the Environment: For once it wasn’t a line out the door at Gary Case Court. Nathan Hale has seen sellout crowds all season home, away and even neutral venues with mass media and fanfare which usually starts hours before tipoff. It was a comfortable Tuesday night with room to breathe and it resembled a normal local high school game.
Best Prospect: Michael Porter Jr. The 6-9 Senior is most believed the highest profile high school hooper the Pacific Northwest has ever witnessed. Every night he gives you YouTube highlights along with stat filling performances you would think came from a 12 minute quarter game. The future Washington Husky already has NBA scouts attention to say the least.
Other: 3rd Quarter Scrum: After a comfortable margin turned into a landslide lead things got heated when Michael Porter Jr. was fouled hard during a dunk attempt that led into benches clearing and an ejection of Nathan Hale freshman Coban Porter. A couple minutes after things cooled down Michael Porter Jr. had a dunk with extra oomph which garnished him his second technical foul as he was dismissed from game with time remaining in 3rd period. It was obvious Coban Porter was not only player to leave the bench for either team and unfairly received the double technical ejection.