Southern Boone Classic: Thursday Night Standouts
Prep Hoops Missouri was on hand for the semifinals of the Southern Boone Classic on Thursday night in Ashland. Here is look at some of the top performers of the evening:
Sam Stichnote 6’2″ Southern Boone: The smooth 2019 wing scored 19 points and grabbed a bunch of rebounds in a victory over Fulton in the semifinals. Sam is a versatile guard who is at his best when he is getting to the basket off the dribble. He has a variety of change of pace and change of direction moves to get to the bucket and he can deliver in traffic. He is a little bigger and stronger than last year, so that helps him score through contact. He is a solid athlete who plays with a lot of poise.
Ethan Thompson 6’2″ Hallsville: The 2018 guard scored 23 points in the Indians’ victory over Harrisburg in the semifinals. He is an excellent offensive player with good three point range. He made three on the evening, including one from nearly 30 feet. It was butter. He compliments his shooting with an excellent drive game, plus he gets out in transition for buckets. Division III schools Fontbonne and Westminster were in the house watching him play.
Graham Moser 6’2″ Hallsville: A physically-strong combo guard who powered his way to 15 points in the victory over Harrisburg in the semifinals. His pull-up 25 footer at the first quarter buzzer was an early dagger in what was an impressive victory. He has a stout body, which he puts to good use when he bulls his way into the lane. He can handle it, pass it and shoot it, like most of his teammates. The Division III schools also got a good look at him as well.
Cody Karl 5’9″ Harrisburg: The 2018 guard scored a team-high 17 points in the loss to Hallsville in the semifinals. He’s small, but he has good quickness and he can really get out and put pressure on the defense with his ability to penetrate, yet he can stop on the dime and pull up and make a 3-pointers.
Rece Gilmore 6’1″ Southern Boone: The 2020 guard scored all 14 of his points in the second half of the Eagles victory over Fulton in the semifinals. He is an excellent athlete who plays the game with a lot of speed and pace. He had a personal eight point run which turned the game around in an instant. He scored on a coast to coast drive, then consecutive 3-pointers to spark a big Eagles second-half in which they scored 49 points. With his size and speed, he has some upside to him.
LeCheyon Williams 6’0″ Fulton: An undersized 2018 post player, Williams powered his way to 15 points in the Hornets loss to Southern Boone in the semifinals. At a robust 210 pounds, the stocky Williams really had his way in the first half as he dominated the action in the paint. They got the ball inside to him and he delivered bucket after bucket to stake the Hornets to their first half advantage. He is strong and physical around the basket.
Avery Reardon 6’4″ Boonville: A solid 2018 forward who scored 17 points in a victory over Linn in the consolation semifinals. He was a very dependable offensive threat around the basket with a nice shooting touch. He was a strong rebounder and he moved well around the lane to keep himself available.