Five Takeaways From Eau Claire North-La Crosse Central
LA CROSSE — An intriguing non-conference matchup took place Tuesday night as La Crosse Central hosted Eau Claire North. While the Huskies won a close game in last season’s meeting, the Red Raiders put a stop to that, routing ECN 82-55…
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Continue ReadingLA CROSSE — An intriguing non-conference matchup took place Tuesday night as La Crosse Central hosted Eau Claire North. While the Huskies won a close game in last season’s meeting, the Red Raiders put a stop to that, routing ECN 82-55 on their home floor…
Davis Dominated From the Opening Tip
In reality, there wasn’t a ton to play for between the two teams. Non-conference game, playoff seedings have been set — aside from potential state tournament seeding, which is a long way off, Tuesday’s game wasn’t going to affect much, if anything.
Don’t tell that to Johnny Davis, who came out and dominated after the opening tip.
The junior guard and our No. 2 ranked player in the class of 2020 went for 31 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. Davis asserted himself early and there wasn’t a thing Eau Claire North could do to stop him.
You don’t see a lot of guards willing to work this hard to get easy buckets. Davis can post up, works the offensive glass like a big, and just rarely settles for a jumper. Davis has a tenacious approach to the game that not many can match.
Banks Drops 10 Assists
We were interested to see how Dalton Banks performed against this loaded Central squad.
While he was kept in check offensively, Banks’ playmaking was excellent. The junior guard dished out 10 assists despite facing constant pressure all the way up the floor. Banks’ ability to survey the floor and beat the defense with his passing set up a ton of opportunities for North’s 3-point shooters.
Central made it a point of emphasis to take Banks’ scoring away. Banks did a good job of not forcing the issue and taking poor shots. A quick, skilled guard, Banks looks faster and more athletic than last summer. He definitely has a chance to play for a top five spot in the 2020 class during the travel season.
Davis’ Defense Stifles North
A big reason why Banks wasn’t able to get going offensively was the play of Jordan Davis.
The junior small forward has a couple inches and a lot of pounds on Banks and forced him into a 2-of-13 shooting night. Banks hit some tough shots, but wasn’t able to penetrate and get easy looks going towards the basket.
Davis has been in a little funk offensively and was 2-of-9 shooting, but didn’t let that affect the other parts of his game. The 6-foot-4 wing also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists in the win. Becoming a defensive stopper this season, Davis’ ability to shut down the other team’s best player will help carry the Red Raiders in March.
Parcher Coming on Strong
La Crosse Central senior point guard Noah Parcher has played very well in his last two high-level matchups.
Parcher chipped in with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Tuesday’s win. With opponents often keyed in on the Davis twins and Terrance Thompson, Parcher is one of the biggest x-factors in the state with his ability to create offense or make plays in transition.
Parcher sparked Central’s comeback win at Onalaska last week. Averaging just over 10 points per game on a loaded lineup, Parcher has the Red Raiders playing some of their best ball right now.
Still on the market, Parcher is hearing from a number of Division 3/NAIA schools this season.
Central Looking to Get Thompson Going
He doesn’t put up huge numbers during the high school season, but it was obvious that Central wanted to get Thompson more involved.
The Red Raiders made it a point of emphasis to get Thompson touches on the block and he responded with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. A strong, athletic forward, Thompson can do some special things in the open floor as well. In fact, he played on top of the full court zone press, stole a pass, and took it the other way for the slam.
Thompson is one of the most intriguing prospects in his class. The 6-foot-7 junior has a seven-foot wingspan, is young for his grade, runs the floor like a deer, and can shoot the basketball from 3-point and mid-range.
If Central is fortunate enough to return to state, they’ll need Thompson to play big if they’re going to get their second gold ball in three seasons.