Unsung heroes: Under radar players who starred on the big stage
The first day of the Ohio High School Basketball tournament is in the books.
In Division IV, Marion Local held on to edge Pandora-Gilboa 56-54 while Cornerstone Christian knocked off Hiland, 51-41.
In Division III, Deer Park blitzed the defending Division IV state champion Lutheran East 66-48 while Columbus Africentric knocked off undefeated Harvest Prep 54-52 in a thriller to end the night.
Unsung heroes of day one of the tournament
Ricky Adams (2019), 5’9” G, Cornerstone Christian
Came off the bench and scored six points, and dished off two assists with no turnovers in 21 minutes. Made really good decisions with the ball in Cornerstone’s win.
Andy Miller (2019), 5’10” G, Hiland
Scored four points and handed out four assists in 21 minutes. Only turned the ball over twice against Cornerstone’s swarming pressure.
Eli Phillips (2018), 6’3”, P, Pandora-Gilboa
He didn’t score; but did have six steals the and two blocks. His steal late in game gave his team the ball and the chance to go ahead late, but Pandora-Gilboa couldn’t convert.
“He’s the heart of our team,” said coach Joe Braidic. “This is the first year he was healthy all year.”
Tyler Prenger (2018), 6’0” G, Marion Local
Helped the Flyers get off to a good start as he cashed in his first shot of the game, a 3-pointer, to give his team an early lead. Finished the half with 8 big points, five of those coming in the first quarter as Marion Local weathered an early storm when its leading scorer 6’5” Nathan Bruns (2019) was sidelined with two early fouls.
Joseph Hocker (2019), 6’6” P, Deer Park
Dominated inside from the get go and made things very uncomfortable for Lutheran East. He finished the game with 18 rebounds and 10 points, which was above his season average of 6.5 points a game and 5.6 rebounds a game.
Steven Gentry Jr. (2020), 5’11” G, Deer Park
Very solid with ball. He finished with the night with 4 points and three assists in 24 minutes but made plenty of good decisions.
Nehemiah Benson, (2020), 6’6 P, Lutheran East
He had his hands full playing against the length of Deer Park but played with a lot of heart. Finished the night with 7 points, five rebounds and three blocks.
Dorian Holloway (2019), 6’4” W, Columbus Africentric
Made plays on offense and defense. Rebounded well and came up with some very clutch buckets as he scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Soul Hines (2019), 6’4” G, Harvest Prep
Scored 13 points and hit some clutch 3-pointers down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to get his team over the hump. Also had three assists.