Top 10: CBC vs. St. Louis Christian Academy
The high school basketball season opened up in St. Louis with an excellent matchup between host CBC and St. Louis Christian Academy. For more than three quarters, St. Louis Christian controlled the game and held a double-digit lead, but the Cadets rallied with a full-court press and took a dramatic 71-68 victory over the Cougars.
Here is a look at the Top 10 from Monday night’s CBC-St. Louis Christian game:
Best Offensive Player: Caleb Love (CBC) – The 2020 major Division I prospect scored a game-high 35 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter when the Cadets staged their big rally. Although Love didn’t have the 3-ball working on this night, he was unstoppable at getting to the rim at finishing in traffic. He had a number of acrobatic finishes at the rim and he got himself to the free throw line. He smooth mid-range jumper with under a minute left to play gave the Cadets the lead to stay at 65-64.
Best Rebounder: Josh Wallace (CBC)- The 6’6″ 2019 forward was a force on the boards the entire night with a game-high 12 rebounds. He rebounded with a great hunger as he did a nice job of getting out of his area and grabbing boards that he wasn’t always in position to get. He just flat out got the ball.
Most Versatile Player: Jackson Makoi (St. Louis Christian) – The talented 6’5″ 2021 guard was very comfortable at any three of the backcourt spots. He spent a lot of the game handling the ball and making plays for his team. His handles were good and he did a nice job of getting to the rim with a number of smooth finishes. He is athletic and he puts in an honest effort on the defensive end as well.
Best Point Guard: Courtland Sol (St. Louis Christian) – The 2019 guard scored a team-high 16 points for the Cougars. He has good handles and he does an excellent job of getting where he wants to go on the floor without being rushed. He finished well at the rim and also has a nice pull up jumper from 12 to 15 feet to compliment his driving game. He changes speeds quite well to keep defenders off balance.
Best Rim Protector: Tiki Musaka (St. Louis Christian) – The long and lanky 6’10” forward put his 7’1″ wing span to good use as he blocked shots and altered many others around the basket. He is mobile and he has a good sense of timing around the basket.
Key Point of Game: With the Cadets trailing by 10 points with four minutes left in the game, they employed a full-court press that clearly rattled St. Louis Christian, forcing several turnovers down the stretch. The Cadets outscored SLCA 21-6 in the last four minutes to take the game.
Best Young Prospect (2021, 2022): Jackson Makoi (St. Louis Christian) – See above
Robert Martin (CBC) – The talented 5’9″ 2022 point guard was quiet for three quarters, but he sparked the big CBC rally by scoring 12 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. He scored on a nice transition layup, knocked down a 3-pointer and converted a steal into a layup off the press to get the Cadets rolling down the stretch.
Best Motor: Josh Wallace (CBC) – Any game he plays in, Wallace is going to get this recognition. He plays hard and his motor is always running at full-tilt boogie. It may have run a little hot in that he fouled out with four minutes to go, but not before he had put in a great effort with 19 points, 12 rebounds and some impressive rim-runs for transition layups and dunks.
Best Player off the Bench: Raschard Greene (St. Louis Christian) – The beefy 6’3″ wing player scored 11 points and really did a nice job of impacting the game as SLCA grabbed firm control in the second quarter. He attacked the offensive boards hard, scored around the basket and delivered some nice passes to open teammates.
Top Collegiate Prospect: Caleb Love (CBC) – Love’s recruiting really blew up over the summer as he received a number of offers from Power 5 Conference schools around the country. He is a dynamic scorer with plus-athleticism and an ability to take over a game as he displayed on Monday night.