Iowa’s Premier Performers (Week 4)
Each week, there’s a handful of individual performances around the state that are eye-catching. And each Tuesday, we’ll highlight those stat-lines here. Triple-doubles and 50-point performances are sought-after for these “Premier Performers” lists. We also like high efficiency games and…
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Continue ReadingEach week, there’s a handful of individual performances around the state that are eye-catching. And each Tuesday, we’ll highlight those stat-lines here. Triple-doubles and 50-point performances are sought-after for these “Premier Performers” lists. We also like high efficiency games and total stat-stuffers. Below, you’ll find 10 striking performances from this past week.
Patrick McCaffery, Iowa City West — 42 points
Iowa City West is one of the more storied hoops programs in Iowa, and this is the most points any Trojans player has ever scored in a single game, impressive. The efficiency here was key, McCaffery went 14-20 from the floor, 6-8 from deep and made all eight of his free-throws in this game, a one point win over Cedar Rapids Washington.
Trey Shearer, Montezuma — 48 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds
The sophomore guard is having himself a big-time season, and this has been the crown jewel so far. The 48 points is the third-highest individual scoring output by a player in Iowa this season. He achieved the feat in a 15-point win over Keota, and managed to come away with a slew of rebounds and assists, too.
Cliff McCray, Sioux City West — 30 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists
This triple-double stuff is starting to become routine for McCray, a Southwest Minnesota State recruit. Of all his big games this season, none are most impressive than this gem that came in a win over one of Nebraska’s best teams, Omaha Skutt Catholic. Maybe most impressive of all, McCray made all 15 of his free-throws.
Dom Robertson, Oelwein — 41 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 7 steals, 2 blocks
We’ve seem very few single games over the last five years more impressive than this Dom Robertson doozy. He was 13-16 from the floor and 6-8 from deep in the 41-point performance, and was getting it done on the defensive end, too, swiping seven steals and blocking two shots for good measure. The Huskies needed all of it in the mere four-point win over Independence.
Xavier Foster, Oskaloosa — 16 points, 17 rebounds, 14 blocks
Twice the nationally renowned Osakloosa prospect put up jaw-dropping numbers last week. First, it was an 18 point, 10 rebound, nine block game in a loss to Norwalk. Then it was this 16 point, 17 rebound, 14 block game against Pella, strangely, in another loss. Foster is averaging 11.5 blocks over his last two games, what?!
Brett Livesay, Collins-Maxwell — 32 points, 17 rebounds, 2 steals
The 6-foot-5 big-man is having himself a breakout junior season for the Raiders, averaging 17.4 points and 9.9 rebounds through the first part of the season. Against English Valley’s last Monday he was especially effective, going for season highs in points and rebounds.
Cooper DeJean, OA-BCIG — 32 points, 20 rebounds, 3 steals
Games like this are rare enough for dominant big-men in Iowa, but a 30-20 (30 or more points, 20 or more rebounds) game from a guard, that’s unheard of. DeJean is just a sophomore, but the athletic guard is already making a name for himself as one of the the more dominant players in Norhtwest Iowa.
Austin Simpson, Fairfield — 15 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals
This triple-double comes from big and versatile Fairfield senior, Austin Simpson. the 6-foot-4 post is averaging 12 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season, to go along with a team-best 1.7 steals per game. As far as we can tell, it’s the first triple-double of Simpson’s career.
Noah Beck, BGM — 18 points, 10 steals, 7 assists, 6 rebounds
Beck is no stranger to the premier performers lists, the junior has a penchant for stuffing stat-sheets this time of year. He did just that against Iowa Valley last week, going for a quadruple-nickel in a 25-point win. Beck is averaging 11.3 points, 7.7 assists, 6.0 steals and 4.8 rebounds per game this season, so we’re guessing he’ll be back on this list before too long.
Armonniey Thomas, Marshalltown — 13 points, 10 steals, 6 rebounds
Just a freshman, Thomas has been sensational this season for one of the state’s surprise teams. The Bobcats are 6-2, and during a 12-point win over Mason City last Friday night, Thomas had one of the more dominant defensive performances of the season, swiping 10 steals in the W.