Wichita Southeast v Wichita West- Takeaways and Top Prospects
It was a lopsided affair early as Southeast jumped out to an early lead against West and never looked back. Leading 36 to 11 at halftime and winning by a final score of 70-35 in favor of Southeast. The Golden Buffaloes were led by Shawn Warrior who filled up the stat sheet with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks.
Takeaways
- Wichita Southeast is still a great team without Israel Barnes– Although having your star player go down with a season ending injury can stunt a team’s success, Southeast is still playing at a high level of basketball. While they, hands down, are a better team with Barnes, the Golden Buffaloes have enough playmakers to compensate. Shawn Warrior (2020) has stepped up and played a big role along with Micah Jaques (2020) as those two have accounted for a big part of their offensive production. Johnny Murdock has also stepped up and helped be the engine Southeast needs offensively and defensively.
- Wichita West will continue to struggle next year– Ending this year as a two win team, the Pioneers are graduating six seniors including the only player listed above 6’2” on their roster. West will have one of their more talented prospects, Corey Anderson-Haynes, entering his senior season. He will have to play a big role if West is going to improve on this year’s performance.
Top Prospects
Shawn Warrior (2020)– Wichita Southeast: As mentioned, Shawn Warrior filled up the stat sheet this evening and did so efficiently. Shooting 50% from the floor and hitting 2/3 three-point FG’s and 4/5 FT’s on the night as the starters sat the entire fourth quarter.
Shawn displayed his ability to be effective in transition with both his aggressiveness and ability to see the floor. While he did record 10 rebounds, Shawn was much more athletic than the entire Pioneer team and collected many of his rebounds as a result of that. Shawn has a big upside but will need to fill out his 6’4” frame to make an impact at the highest level.
Corey Anderson-Haynes (2019)– Wichita West: A bit of a tough night for the junior only recording 6 points and 4 rebounds in the loss including going 0-4 from beyond the arc. Corey did have his moments however, exhibiting good ball control and pull-up jumper that if he can get to fall consistently, would make him a bigger threat to opposing teams.
Johnny Murdock (2019)– Wichita Southeast: Out of anybody on the court tonight, Johnny exhibited qualities that translate to the next level but that are not always quantifiable. He has a great motor and does a great job in making the opposing team’s ball handlers feel uncomfortable with his activity on the defensive side of the ball. Tonight he also showed that he will accept coaching and make necessary adjustments.
Offensively, Johnny had no problem getting into the paint against the less-talented West team and showed an ability to finish at the rim with decent touch. He made some sound decisions on pick and roll situations and does a nice job in keeping his head up consistently whether he’s taking the ball up the court or in a half court set. Bit of a tough shooting night for Johnny shooting 33% from the floor, finishing with 7 points.
Treyveyon Campbell (2018)– Wichita West: A senior prospect that West will be missing next year was also their leading scorer tonight against Southeast. Treyveyon was able to penetrate the Southeast defense and get into the paint where he was commonly fouled (shot 8 free throws) or got a good look at the basket. His 10 points while shooting 50% was a team high but he also appeared to be rattled against the larger, more athletic Southeast team, as they altered many of his shots.
Micah Jacques (2020)– Wichita Southeast: Micah had a productive game for the Golden Buffaloes as well with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. He is a good catch and shoot guard who was also able to get into the defense of West tonight and make things happen. For Micah to take his game to the next level, he will need to improve his defensive presence by being more active and exerting more effort on and off the ball.
Breelyn Wright (2019)– Wichita Southeast: The 6’7” junior was actually the surprise of the night for me. Breelyn was able to do many things on the court although he didn’t play but a few minutes in the first half and got the bulk of his time when the Golden Buffaloes were up big. He was able to stretch the defense hitting the only three-point FG he attempted and had a great drive to the basket from 18 feet out, finishing at the rim. Physically, Breelyn appears to be able to guard bigs his size as he is a long defender and has a good frame.