Five Takeaways: McPherson-Shawnee Mission East
Five Takeaways: McPherson-Shawnee Mission East
MCPHERSON, Kan. — Host McPherson held off a strong performance by Shawnee Mission East for a 61-49 win and advanced to the championship game of their own tournament Saturday night.
Ben Pyle led all scorers with 20 points, while Mason Alexander added 19 for the Bullpups. Zane Meeks led Shawnee Mission East with 19 points.
Here, Prep Hoops takes a look at five things that stood out in the contest.
WIU getting a well-rounded player
Western Illinois recruit Ben Pyle showed off an all-around game for McPherson on Friday as he went for 20 points and hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds and largely won a match-up with Shawnee Mission East 6’7 2018 forward Jack Shoemann, a Colorado State recruit, who finished with seven points and two rebounds. At 6’7, Pyle can handle the ball, pass, gets to the free throw line and can shoot from deep.
Big fourth quarter for Alexander (pictured)
One of the state’s top remaining players on the board, 2018 point guard Mason Alexander scored six points in the first quarter, including a touch mid-range bucket as the buzzer sounded to end the frame, but largely opted to help set up his teammates and run the show through the next three quarters. But with the game on the line, Alexander helped lead the Bullpups fourth quarter rally, hitting two key 3-pointers, going 4 for 4 at the free throw line and scoring 12 points in the final frame. A left hander, Alexander is a creative ball handler and is comfortable leading an offense.
Role players come up big for McPherson
With 6’4 2019 guard/forward Jake Alexander out with an ankle injury, McPherson got several big performances from its role players, especially on the offensive glass where Drew Lanertew, Cody Stufflebean, Thomas Diggs and others proved to be too much for the Lancers to contain. 6’0 2018 guard/forward Jayse Alexander hit a pair of big 3-pointers and finished with nine points.
Meeks continues to impress
One of the state’s premier stretch 4 prospects, Shawnee Mission East 6’8 2019 forward Zane Meeks put together a well-rounded performance on Friday, scoring 19 points, hauling in eight rebounds and blocking three shots. He hit a pair of 3-pointers, including a big one late in the fourth quarter that stopped a dry spell, and showed the ability to post up and knock down free throws. Meeks has been a bog riser in state hoops and could draw a lot of attention from college programs with a big summer.
Bolton has good moments at PG for SME
Kelyn Bolton is among the more underrated point guard prospects in the 2018 class in Kansas. He has good size and athleticism at 6’1 and has elite speed with the ball, able to go coast-to-coast with a quick burst. He showed the ability to get to the basket in the halfcourt on Friday, but still needs to improve his perimeter jumper to take his game to another level.