Illinois-Wisconsin Border Battle Prospect Superlatives
RACINE — Superlatives from the 2019 Illinois-Wisconsin Border Battle… BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE If there’s a better candidate to be Mr. Basketball in 2019, we haven’t seen it. Marcus Domask went for 33 points and 14 rebounds for Waupun in their…
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Continue ReadingRACINE — Superlatives from the 2019 Illinois-Wisconsin Border Battle…
BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE
If there’s a better candidate to be Mr. Basketball in 2019, we haven’t seen it.
Marcus Domask went for 33 points and 14 rebounds for Waupun in their win over Providence St. Mel. The opposition tried to pick him for 90 feet full court, they tried to zone him, they tried to double Domask in the paint — it was all for nothing.
Domask scored 25 of his 33 points in the first half alone. The Northern Kentucky commit was exceptional from 3-point range, stretching the zone well beyond the 3-point arc. Showcasing his athleticism, Domask had two dunks in traffic against a fast and athletic Providence St. Mel squad.
BEST TEAM PERFORMANCE
Loyola Academy wanted a low-scoring dogfight against Sussex Hamilton on Saturday.
Ask and you shall receive.
The Ramblers did a tremendous job of taking Patrick Baldwin Jr. out of the game. The five-star sophomore was limited to 10 points and went long stretches without even attempting a shot.
Showing their grit and willingness to match Loyola on the defensive end, the Chargers held the Ramblers to 41 points. Hamilton had two other players in double figures — Tanner Resch (13 points) and J.T. Hoytink (12 points) — to help take the burden of Baldwin.
When a team exerts that much energy to neutralize Baldwin, shadowing him for 36 minutes and doubling on just about every touch, and still can’t win, the Chargers have to be feeling pretty good about their chances in March.
BEST SURPRISE PERFORMANCE
We weren’t surprised by their efforts, but La Follette was struggling with Niles North and trailed by seven at the half. Things were going their way until the Lancers got a big boost from Troy Reeves and Ben Probst.
Reeves, a senior guard, scored all 17 of his points in the second half. Against an athletic backcourt that was constantly pushing the tempo, Reeves beat Niles North at their own game.
Probst, who scored a team-high 18, also got it done with energy plays. A prospect that always seems to come up big when La Follette needs him most, Probst drilled some momentum changing 3-pointers and created some huge second chance buckets by getting on the glass and wanting the ball more than anyone else on the floor.
BIGGEST SLEEPER
Antuan Nesbitt has a chance to be a special player for The Prairie School.
With his running mate Isaiah Hoyt not in action, Nesbitt went to work, scoring a game-high on 7-of-10 shooting. A smooth, athletic wing/forward, Nesbitt is a mismatch problem with his ability to handle the ball and create, but play bigger than his size.
Nesbitt is still very raw physically and has a ton of growing left to do. The 6-foot-3 sophomore is still able to produce in a variety of ways and does some eye-opening things in transition. Nesbitt also finished with seven steals and six rebounds in a win over Liberty.
BEST SHOOTER
We saw him go off at the Midwest Player’s Classic and now we can confidently say that performance was not a fluke. Logan Jedwabny is going to be one of the biggest risers in the next class of 2020 rankings.
Jedwabny is extremely deadly in transition. He runs the floor, gets to his spots, and has a beautiful rise and fire shooting motion. Scoring 16 points in a loss to Marian Catholic, Jedwabny continued to shoot the ball at a high level from 3-point range. While that’s been his bread and butter this season, Jedwabny is also improved as a slasher and is able to put the ball on the deck and use his 6-foot-3 frame at the rim.
TOP FLOOR GENERAL
JaKobe Thompson scored 19 points for Racine Case in a loss to New Trier. Facing a very physical, blue collar program, Thompson elevated his teammates in a two-point loss. The 5-foot-10 sophomore was giving up plenty of size, but used his quickness and ball handling to his advantage. Thompson got into the paint and will and showed off a soft touch around the rim, floating shots above shot blockers.
TOP POST PRESENCE
Neenah struggled offensively in a loss to Deerfield, but got 18 points from Logan Morrow. An under the radar senior, Morrow has played very well in the two times we’ve seen him this season. The 6-foot-5 forward can stretch the floor from 3-point range and is also skilled as a passer and slasher. Facing a zone that featured plenty of length, Morrow was effective in the high post areas and for a lot of the game, was a large chunk of the offensive attack for the Rockets.
TOP EMERGING PROSPECT
Quintin Winterfeldt is starting to play very well for Waupun. Playing alongside Domask, Winterfeldt gets more driving lanes than he’s probably ever seen and is taking full advantage. The Minnesota-Crookston commit is also shooting the ball the best he ever has. Winterfeldt has been very consistent from downtown this season and when you pair that with his strong, athletic 6-foot-5 frame, he’s a handful for defenders. Winterfeldt chipped in with 20 points in Waupun’s victory.