Poplar Bluff Showdown: Day 1 Recap
The 32nd Annual Poplar Bluff Showdown tipped off Thursday afternoon with a four game slate featuring a talented group of prospects from Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Opening night set the tone for the weekend with some memorable performances in…
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Continue ReadingThe 32nd Annual Poplar Bluff Showdown tipped off Thursday afternoon with a four game slate featuring a talented group of prospects from Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Opening night set the tone for the weekend with some memorable performances in every game. Prep Hoops was in the building from opening tip to final buzzer. Here is our recap from Day 1:
Game 1:
Fayetteville (AR) 74
Christian County (KY) 34
Fayetteville traveled to Poplar Bluff on a mission and delivered a dominant opening round performance from start to finish. The Bulldogs were led by imposing 6’7 So Tamaury Releford who had a big double-double and finished with a game high 25 points against an undersized Christian County team. He was a freight train in the post. He uses his body very well and seals extremely hard. He is nearly impossible to box out and had several offensive rebounds and put-backs. They also had a big game from uber-athletic 6’4 Jr Austin Garrett. Fayetteville had stretches of excellence on the defensive end where they had a 17-0 run in the 2nd quarter and held the Colonels scoreless in the 4th quarter. Fayetteville advances to take on Poplar Bluff Friday at 7pm.
Game 2:
Jonesboro (AR) 64
Memphis-Kirby 50
The second game of the evening featured some star power on both sides. A very talented Jonesboro team, who finished runner-up last year, held a fairly comfortable lead most of the game on the backs of their dynamic duo 6’5 Sr Marcedus Leech and 6’4 Sr Kyle Moore. Leech, an Iowa State commit, led the Hurricane with a dozen points. He is a long, athletic wing that is a match-up nightmare for defenses. He was fairly calm throughout the game, but can flip the switch and takeover at any moment. Moore has very impressive footwork and touch in the paint. He can score with either hand, back to the basket, or attacking off the face-up. He is very bouncy and blocked or altered any shot within his reach. Kirby 6’2 Sr Dontae Horne did his best to keep them in the game. He had a game high 24 points and showed the ability to score in every way. In the end, though, it was not enough as Jonesboro walked away with a victory. They will advance to face Humboldt Friday at 8:30pm.
Game 3:
Poplar Bluff 63
Memphis Central 58
The game of the night featured the host and defending champion Poplar Bluff against a talented and scrappy group from Memphis Central. It was a back and forth battle the entire game with each team getting big performances from their stars. For a while, it looked like 6’0 Sr Jhalen Hayes was going to ruin the night for the home crowd. The Central guard buried 5 threes and finished with 19 points. His sidekick, 6’4 Jr Xavier Joubert had 13 points in the second half on a couple smooth mid-range jumpers and strong drives to the rim. Unfortunately for the Warriors, it was not quite enough to steal a victory. The performance of the night came from Poplar Bluff’s 6’2 Sr Dominique Hardimon who put the Mules on his back with a heroic 34 point effort. The strong, athletic wing was unstoppable attacking the basket and finished with contact time and time again. He would not be denied on the offensive glass and despite playing with an apparent injury he could not be stopped. The Mules also had key contributions from 6’1 Sr Tyler Cline, 6’2 Sr Carlton McDonald, and 6’0 So JoJo Hardimon that helped them escape with a close win. Poplar Bluff has a date with a very talented Fayetteville squad Friday night.
Game 4:
Humboldt (TN) 95
Kauffman-KC 54
A very young but promising Kauffman team out of Kansas City ran into a 10-0 buzzsaw from Humboldt in Thursday night’s finale. The Vikings were led by electric 5’7 Sr Montrez Ward who had a jaw-dropping 24 point first quarter. He finished the night in limited minutes with 29 points on 7 made three pointers. He was aided by 6’5 Sr Anthony Jones. The freakishly-athletic forward is almost a mirror image of Metta World-Peace, but almost certainly has more bounce. He finished with 21 points and put on his own personal dunk-contest with 6 first half throw-downs. Humboldt was sharp, efficient, and will be well-rested for a big time match-up with Jonesboro in Friday’s main event.