FIVE TAKEAWAYS: Topeka Hayden (Kan.)-KC Center (Mo.)
FIVE TAKEAWAYS: Blue Valley Northwest (Kan.)-Lee’s Summit West (Mo.)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Center Yellowjackets continue to be one of Kansas City’s upstart teams this season as they improved to 5-1 with a 61-51 win over Topeka Hayden on Saturday, one of the premier teams from Kansas, as part of the two-day Cable Dahmer Shootout held at Avila University in Kansas City.
Here, Prep Hoops takes a look at five things that stood out in the contest.
Yellowjackets a well-rounded squad
Team plays a tough, no-nonsense brand of basketball. They have good size across the board with several players in the 6’2 to 6’5 range. Their only loss this season was to Warrensburg, who they turned around and beat by 10 a week later. They will play in the William Jewell Tournament following Christmas and could be a tough out in the field.
Hayden stars need more help
Topeka Hayden standouts Zach Harvey and Jett Canfield largely had a pedestrian performance for their standards, combining to score 28 points. But Hayden otherwise got nine points off the bench from Austin Crow, five from Hayden Federico and six from Levi Braun and three from Deshawn Hanika — a talented group of players who have high expectations for the 2017-18 season. It wasn’t a typical performance and they will likely have better days ahead.
Daryl Wright, an underrated performer
Listed as a 6’4 2018 forward, Wright can play on the wing, in the paint and is more of a guard than a forward. He went for a game-high 20 points and added five assists while playing nearly the entire 32 minutes. He is a good ball handler who can create off the dribble and breaks a calm presence to the court.
Diminutive guard came to play
Darius Walsh, a 5’8 2019 point guard, put together a terrific performance, showing the ability to get where-ever he wanted off the dribble. He went for 15 points and showed off the ability to shoot from the outside, hit runners in the lane or pull-up off the bounce.
Spiller impresses
One of the better freshmen we have seen this season, Center 6’3 2021 forward Keyren Spiller is an impressive talent for a young player blessed with good size and a well-rounded game. He went for seven points and five rebounds, but impacted the game in a variety of ways.