Prospect Standouts: La Crosse Central Routes Merrill in Sectionals, 81-55
This game could’ve been called at halftime. Or earlier. In a nutshell, the first two minutes were a painstaking loop of Merrill turnovers and a La Crosse Central layup or alley-oop jam. Everything after that was La Crosse Central twisting…
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Continue ReadingThis game could’ve been called at halftime. Or earlier.
In a nutshell, the first two minutes were a painstaking loop of Merrill turnovers and a La Crosse Central layup or alley-oop jam. Everything after that was La Crosse Central twisting the dagger in a defeated and deflated opponent. Merrill would eventually flip Quinn Stackbauer’s light from green to very green as he started connecting on some tough shots, but that brand of catch-up basketball would only dig them deeper into their hole.
Besides La Crosse Central resurfacing in title talks, we didn’t learn much from the beatdown. But there were a handful of prospects on display…
Johnny Davis, La Crosse Central
Davis elevated over everyone on the court today, both with emphatic dunks and his scoring. He’s an underrated athlete, and it showed today after he caught two lobs, dunked four times, and swatted Merrill’s best finisher in Quinn Steckbauer. Davis is wired to dominate at every level, and he will as La Crosse Central continues to climb the playoff ladder.
Quinn Steckbauer, Merrill
You hate to say that one guy carries a team, but today it was Steckbauer. Their entire offense was predicated on him scoring, and he did for the most part with 27 points. He engineered some impressive solo runs, scoring mostly from beyond the arc. Tonight he struggled to find any crease in La Crosse Central’s blockade of lanky defenders, but he can generally mix things up on the shot chart.
Noah Parcher, La Crosse Central
Parcher mixes up the La Crosse Central offense with shots all over the court. When he’s shooting efficiently, this team is a handful to guard.
Terrance Thompson, La Crosse Central
Thompson controls the game as the captain of an outstanding defensive unit. The 6’7 center is usually entrenched in the paint, impeding drives by stepping in gaps. His length and awareness as a shot blocker are on another tier, as Thompson swatted away three shots on the game and disrupted a handful more. If you can manage to weasel your way past their trap, you’ll be looking right at the outstretched arms of Thompson.
Jordan Davis, La Crosse Central
Davis wasn’t his normal self today, but that’s not indicative of anything major. He did knock down a three, however, which he shot with clear confidence.
David Hayden, La Crosse Central
Hayden, similar to Noah Parcher, adds an overwhelming presence to their offense. He has a pretty stroke from beyond the arc, as he hit multiple threes in today’s game, and he was also active in the fast break.
Michael Casper, Merrill
Open shots are where he’s the most lethal. Today, there were none. He hit a couple of threes, but he wasn’t his typical shooting-self, obviously bothered by the length of La Crosse Central.