Ten Best: St. Mary’s vs. Silver Lake
Ten Best: St. Mary’s vs. Silver Lake
SILVER LAKE, Kan. — It took four overtimes to decide a battle between Nos. 2-3 seeds St. Mary’s and Silver Lake in Thursday’s sub-state semifinal contest as St. Mary’s got a key bucket from No. 24 as the Bears pulled out a 56-55 win on the Silver Lake homecourt.
Silver Lake 2019 guard Mason Griffin led all scorers with 22 points before fouling out early in the fourth quarter, while Nick Rabe and Austin xx each scored 16 for St. Mary’s.
Here, Prep Hoops Kansas takes a look at some of the game’s top performers.
MVP: Austin Rieschick (St. Mary’s). A 5’11 2018 point guard, Rieschick had several tough turnovers late in the game, but was also big throughout the second half and overtimes as he scored all 16 of his points after the halftime break, including knocking down a pair of 3-pointers and scoring eight key points in the third quarter. A strong, physical point guard, Rieschick likes to get to the basket off the bounce and made several tough chances in the lane.
Best Offensive performer: Mason Griffin (Silver Lake). A 6’2 2019 guard, Griffin probably didn’t have his best day shooting the ball for the Eagles, but he still dropped 20 points and made several clutch plays late in the game and in overtime. Griffin fouled out on the opening play of the fourth overtime with 3:55 remaining.
Best Off the Bench: Cale Adams (Silver Lake). A 6’2 2018 forward, Silver Lake’s Cale Adams had a day for the Eagles, hauling in eight rebounds and providing energy and hustle for Silver Lake.
Best Clutch Performance: Nick Rabe (St. Mary’s). Rabe made a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and later went 4 for 4 at the free throw line in the overtimes and finished with 16 points, tied for the team high with Rieschick.
Best Rebounder: Kenaan Baird (Silver Lake). A unique 6’2 2018 forward, Baird is an undersized forward who brings quickness and intensity to the front court. He is physical and likes to play in the post and makes things happen. He went for 14 points and 11 rebounds on Thursday and made several clutch plays throughout.
Best Shooter: Dillon Byrne (Silver Lake). Byrne is a long, rangy 6’2 2019 wing player who can shoot it from the perimeter and handles it a little. Byrne made three 3-pointers and finished with 10 points and three rebounds.
Name to Remember: Bryan Schoemann (St. Mary’s). Schoemann was one of the few underclassmen to get clock on Thursday and he was on the floor in key moments after a St. Mary’s starter fouled out. A 6’4 2020 forward, Schoemann had all three points for St. Mary’s in the final overtime, opening the frame by getting fouled on a run out, then scoring the final go-ahead points with less than a minute remaining. He knocked down a 3 in the first quarter and finished with eight points and five rebounds.