Five Takeaways: KC Central vs. Barstow
Five Takeaways: KC Central vs. Barstow
Kansas City Central got a game-high 26 points from 2019 guard Desmond Kerr and held on for a 76-66 win over Barstow in the opening round of the 2017 Championship Showdown at Shawnee Mission East High School.
Here, Prep Hoops takes a look at five players who stood out in the contest:
Branden Eckles (6’4, F, 2021, Barstow). Eckles is an athletic freshman with good size. Despite his age, Eckles does a good job battling on the boards and is a willing and capable rebounder. He is active in the paint at the offensive end and always seems to be around the ball, whether it is diving to the basket and being available after dribble penetration or getting on the offensive glass. Eckles also has a smooth free throw shooting stroke. He went 10 for 10 at the free throw line in the second half after missing his first two in the first quarter and finished with 16 total points. He’s definitely a young player in the KC area to watch going forward this season.
Rigley Nuss (6’0, G, 2018, Barstow). Nuss is coming off a strong summer competing for Team Rush, but on Tuesday he probably didn’t have his best performance as he finished with six points. He has a good, solid basketball frame and at 6’0 can do a lot of different things well. He handles it well, gets to the basket and is a solid outside shooter.
Jonah Horne (6’4, F, 2018, Barstow). Horne went for eight quick points in the first quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, but didn’t score afterwards. He is a good rebounder, especially at the offensive end of the court as je works hard on the boards and is a long, rangy athlete. However, he and Nuss will need to perform at a higher level in the future for Barstow to put a good season together.
Desmond Kerr (5’8, G, 2019, KC Central). Kerr can really shoot it from behind the 3-point arc. He has a fluid shooting motion that repeats and plays with confidence. At 5’8, he isn’t very big, but he works hard at the defensive end of the court. On Tuesday Kerr knocked down eight 3-pointers and went for 26 points, including five 3-pointers.
Kyrie Graves (6’0, G, 2019, KC Central). Graves went for 21 points, including a 7 for 11 performance at the free throw line on Tuesday against Barstow. He is a solid ball handler who handled pressure in the backcourt and made a lot of good things happen for the Eagles.