Perry-Spencer Holiday Tournament: Recap
In our final day of the holiday season, we spent time down in Heritage Hills checking in on some of the top teams in Southern Indiana. In four games, we saw some high-end talent and some teams that could compete for state titles. This is our look back at the Perry-Spencer Holiday Tournament.
Game 1: Crawford County vs. Boonville
In a really competitive game, Boonville looked solid for three quarters and kept Crawford County close and was about half a second late to have a tied game heading into the fourth quarter. But Colton Nicklesom and Christian Carlton were too much and played really well in transition after creating steals and Crawford County pulled away mid-way through the final period for a 61-52 win.
Game MVP:
#30 Colton Nickelson – 6’4 SF 2020 – Crawford County (IN)
**21 points against Boonville (IN)**
Colton is a big forward who was pretty good all over the floor. He was playing in transition, on the wing, and on the low block. At 6’4, he’s got enough muscle and plenty of athleticism to make plays. He drove a few times using a nice little hook, tough finishes at the rim for contact, and speed to play in the open floor and in transition. Liked his handles and for a guy that is going to play off the ball and on the wing, he’s plenty capable of driving to create. Jumper looked really solid as well hitting three jumpers, two from distance.
Game 2: Corydon Central vs. South Spencer
Pretty quickly we saw the sophomore duo of Jace Kelly and Kobe Bartlett take command of this game as the South Spencer shooters hit 6 threes in the first third of the game and gave them an early lead. Seniors Bradley Nalley and Joey Wiseman fought back and went to town at the rim. But, when Nalley fouled out late in the fourth, that ended the run as South Spencer went on to win, 59-47.
Game MVP:
#11 Jace Kelly – 5’11 PG 2021 – South Spencer (IN)
**36 points against Corydon Central (IN)**
Kelly is a small guard with some handles and shooting ability. He’s a little on the light side but could still grow a bit and add some weight. However, he plays very tough and was drawing contact on his drives to the rim. His jumper was on today and hit three triples off the catch but his release was a little slow. Can speed it up just a bit and should be fine. Loved his aggressiveness in the lane and wasn’t afraid to get to the rim against more length or size and at the end of the game, racked up free throws after he already had 20+ points through three quarters. Has a lot of shift in his drive as well and can slash in and out of defenders. Interesting point guard option.
Game 3: North Harrison vs. Perry Central
Pretty early on, North Harrison got out to a lead and it didn’t look back. With a few threes early from Logan McIntire and a dominant performance inside from Langdon Hatton, Perry Central was down more than 15 after the first quarter. It was stretched out beyond 30 points and the Perry Central got back in their game and got it as close as 20 before they lost, 71-52.
Game MVP:
#14 Langdon Hatton – 6’9 C 2021 – North Harrison (IN)
**12 points against Perry Central (IN)**
This was one of the better performances we have seen from Hatton. The 6’9 post was trying it all. He’s not afraid to try and make a play. Not always finishing, he only had 12 points, but he was really active inside the paint using a very wide array of moves. He’s good enough at all of them that they would work at any time. His hands look better, grabbing boards pretty well and effectively. Was also more comfortable playing out on the wing and creating a bit off the bounce. He’s gotten better and taller, and more agile. Given the amount of time he has to develop, it would be fun to see what he looks like at the end of it.
Game 4: Heritage Hills vs. Tell City
In the best game of the day, Heritage Hills started out strong but Tell City wasn’t going down too easily. Braeden Beard was stellar defensively as he shut down the interior, stopping Blake Sisley early and often from even getting a pass. Tell City kept it close but as we wore on into the fourth quarter, they just couldn’t find their offense from the first half and slowly, Heritage Hills began to pull away and wound up with a 56-34 victory.
Game MVP:
#12 Simon Scherry – 6’2 PG 2020 – Heritage Hills (IN)
**9 points against Tell City (IN)**
In one of the best performances we saw all week, Heritage Hills guard Simon Scherry put on a display scoring the ball well but leading the team through his play and his passing ability. Easily the best skill he has right now is his passing. Was hitting dump offs and entry passes in a pretty impressive way as well as transition bounce passes through traffic. His shooting was solid but will need to see a little more production on offense. He’s a tall point guard with really good strength and a frame that is ready to go for college. Very interesting prospect that could emerge state wide pretty soon.