5 Takeaways: Lee’s Summit North vs Park Hill South
In a battle of two of the better backcourts around the area, the Lee’s Summit North Broncos were able to prevail with a close 70-68 victory. The game went back and forth for most of the night with neither team really able to open up the game and create a large lead. The lead never grew to double digits for either team, and both squads came to play. Lamel Robinson lead the Park Hill South Panthers with 26 points while Logan Jenkins led the Lee’s Summit North Broncos with 21 points. Lee’s Summit North did suffer a blow right at the beginning of the 2nd half with Javaunte Hawkins going down injuring both wrists. He did not come back into the game, but the Broncos were able to come together as a team and grab the hard fought win.
Logan Jenkins with a big game
The Broncos have had 3 guys all year really step up and lead this team, and Logan Jenkins has been one of them. He has had to cooperate and play a lot of ball that doesn’t suit him best at times due to the Broncos not having a lot of size. He usually has to match up against one of the bigger players for the opposing team, and being a guard, it usually isn’t the easiest, but he has taken on the task and done well. Where he really excels at is his shooting. Logan does most of his scoring and shooting behind the arc, and he does it very well. He connected on 6 Three pointers Tuesday night shooting over 50% from behind the arc that night. He had the hot hand early hitting his first 2 and 3 of 5 in the first half. Once Logan gets going, it’s very difficult to stop him, especially since he is able to get so much lift and space on his shot. The Broncos are going to have to continue to rely on Logan to be one of the scorers and leaders of the team throughout the year if they see themselves making any kind of push down the road.
Lamel Robinson is unstoppable
Lamel Robinson has been starting for the Panthers since his Freshman year, and he continues to grow and lead his team more and more each year. He’s had a pretty hot start to his junior season averaging well more than 20 points a game. He has put in a lot of work and has improved his jump shot quite a bit, but does a lot of scoring from 15 ft on in. He’s a very strong guard for his size and is quite illusive. Getting to the bucket virtually whenever he wants is one of his better skills. He is lighting quick on both sides of the ball and proved that Tuesday night by not only scoring a game high 26, but had plenty of steals by getting in the passing lanes and ripping others when defending on the ball. Lamel has been looked at as one of the better guards around the area for a few years now, and it doesn’t look like he will be going anywhere soon with his style of play.
Elijah Farr is Key for the Broncos
Elijah Farr has the ability to be one of the best big guys around the area if he wants to be. At times Tuesday night, he showed just how good he can be. He flushed two big dunks down in the first half which grabbed some much needed moment for the Broncos. He also has improved his shot and showed his ability to knock down 3 pointers if needed. He hit a big 3 late in the game which helped seal the deal for the Broncos. He was also quite clutch from the free throw line which he has improved from his past struggles from the stripe. Not only was his offense on point with 14 points Tuesday night, but he might have made a bigger impact on the defensive end. He had some big blocks and one coming late in the game, and he was able to come up with some much needed rebounds. With the Broncos playing a lot of zone lately, he is going to be relied upon and have a big impact in the middle of the lane. So far, he has accepted the challenge head on.
C.J. Lee is a force
Although C.J. Lee isn’t the biggest guy on the court standing at just 6’2″ tall, he is a big body, and knows how to use it. For his size, he has great speed and is able to prove how strong he is by battling with a lot bigger posts. He scored 13 points Tuesday night shooting 6-8 from the field. He knows his role for his team, and when one of the guards penetrate, he is ready at any time for a dish off to him so he can get an easy bucket. He had a big and 1 late in the game that brought the Panthers within 2. He also plays great defense and makes it very difficult for other posts to back him down. Lee isn’t looked at as being one of the better bigs around the city, but he’s definitely starting to turn a few heads and get some recognition. He’s been very impressive from the start of this year till now.
Broncos depth still a work in progress
While the Broncos were able to show some signs of great depth and other key parts were able to help out Tuesday night, they still have quite a ways to go. Their bench only scored 7 points and shot 3-7 from the field, but a few of the other starters did step up and hit big shots. The point guard for the Broncos, Mikel Henderson, had one of his better games of the year hitting 4 three pointers and scoring 14 points. He played aggressive on both sides of the ball and hit shots when needed. Jack Gatti also stepped it up and hit a couple of big threes. He finished with 6 points, but also was a big force on the defensive end and grabbed some big loose ball rebounds.