Southridge 76, South Eugene 73: Top Performers
Teams across the state are still in the midst of non-conference games as they head into the Holiday break and the tournaments that will be taking place during that time. On Friday night, Southridge hosted South Eugene in a spirited…
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Continue ReadingTeams across the state are still in the midst of non-conference games as they head into the Holiday break and the tournaments that will be taking place during that time. On Friday night, Southridge hosted South Eugene in a spirited contest that was close throughout before the Skyhawks pulled it out in the end, 76-73.
Here are the top performers from the game:
Brock Henry (2019 Southridge) – With teammate Zach Galvin out for the year due to a knee injury, it will be on Henry to carry the load offensively. The 6-foot-2 senior struggled a bit early on with foul trouble but he was very efficient when he was in the game, whether he was bombing away from outside or gliding to the basket for athletic finishes. Despite the somewhat limited playing time, Henry still led the team with 22 points.
Kade Hustler (2019 Southridge) – Hustler will be playing football at the college level but he will be a key contributor for the hoops team. The 6-foot-4 senior’s name is quite appropriate as his motor was constantly running and on offense he was constantly making things happen. He’s very nimble for his size and has a nice touch from the outside, hitting a couple of threes as well as making a couple of tough drives to the basket. Hustler scored 14 points.
Ben Pak (2019 Southridge) – Pak is starts at guard for Southridge and at 6-foot-4, he gives the Skyhawks some size at the position. He was very aggressive offensively and really took it to the basket hard, finishing a number of buckets at the hoop. Pak also really got after it on defense, harassing the player he was guarding to give it up most of the time. He finished with 11 points.
Jha-Barrie Portis (2021 Southridge) – Portis is a bundle of energy that is constantly going non-stop. In the first half, he was all over the place on both ends, scrapping for boards while also hitting some perimeter shots. In one sequence on the defensive end, he came from nowhere to set up to take a charge, and then went flying all over the floor while getting the call. Portis ended up with nine points on the night.
Sam Finer (2019 Southridge) – If we kept track of +/-, Finer would have been the big winner of the day. He didn’t come into the game until well into the first half but as he was in the game, the Skyhawks made a run. Finer was very active on the boards and on defense, and in the second half he hit some critical threes that were very significant in the outcome.
Cole McAninch (2019 South Eugene) – The Northwest Christian signee will be South Eugene’s top offensive threat this year and it was clear from the outset of the game that he would be the top gun on this evening. McAninich scored at all three levels and was very aggressive with the basketball. He struggled with some foul trouble which left the team a bit of a void offensively but he still ended up with 27 points on the evening.
Josh Paul (2020 South Eugene) – Paul was very aggressive on the offensive end, looking to attack the basket where he would shoot it himself or get it to teammates for looks. At 6-foot-4, the guard is lanky and lengthy and his ranginess was effective on the defensive end. South Eugene doesn’t go very deep so Paul can settle into being a good #2 or #3 option offensively for the Axe. Paul finished with 16 points and seven assists.
Sam Harris (2020 South Eugene) – The 5-foot-10 junior has a solid frame, good quickness, and takes good care of the basketball. For most of the game he didn’t look to really shoot the ball but he canned a couple of threes late in the game. Harris scored 11 points and dished out seven assists.
Aiden Clark (2020 South Eugene) – The Axe are blessed with having a big man in Clark at 6-foot-8, but on this evening he really didn’t get many touches in the post. When he did, Clark didn’t have a great look at the basket so he dished off a couple of nice interior passes for easy buckets. Defensively he stood his ground and blocked a couple of shots and was solid on the boards.