Border Battle Team Camp: Game Recaps
Creighton Prep (NE) 51 vs Glenwood 46
Creighton Prep had a lot of weapons and size, but the guys from Glenwood hung right in there with them. It was Zach Carr who impressed in the first half for the Rams. His skill-set has come a long way over the last two years and he’s poised to become one of the very best guards in Iowa next season. The second half is when Ryan Blum came alive for Glenwood, he scored 11 of his game high 17 points in the latter 20 minutes. This one was tight throughout, with the Omaha guys holding a three point lead at the break. They say there’s no such things as moral victories, but Glenwood can probably feel good about this one.
Jadin Johnson
Council Bluffs Lincoln 43 vs Dowling 41
Not only was this easily the most entertaining game we saw on Thursday, but it was one of the better high school team camp games we can ever remember seeing. The teams were getting after it, especially guards Jadin Johnson and Matt Stilwill, you’d of thought they were playing at Wells Fargo Arena in March rather than a field house in June. In the end it was Johnson who prevailed, scoring the final six points in regulation and overtime to get his team the two point win; including a tough take and finish in sudden death. Stilwill was impressive in his own right, he scored a team-high 12 points and buried a deep 3 at the regulation buzzer to send it to OT. Another eye-opening performance came from rising sophomore sharpshooter Josh Dix, he scored a game-high 18 points and is clearly one of 2022’s best prospects.
Milan (MO) 77 vs Kuemper Catholic 57
The guys from small-town Missouri proved very early in this one that they could ball. Big men were raining in 3s, the guards were throwing down jams and the all-around skill-level of the team was quite frankly not what were were expecting to see out of such a small school squad. Right out of the gates the Missouri boys grabbed a big lead, and they never relinquished it. The Kuemper guys, or the Fighting Nick Nurse’s as they are now known, were short-handed in this one, guys were injured or playing baseball. Still, there was a trio of Kuemper guys that showed they could carry this team to some wins next season. Tre Knobbe scored a team-high 13 points. Isaac Evans was an effective big-man, he scored 11. Cole Collison looks like he’ll be an impact player, he also scored 11.
Creighton Prep (NE) 46 vs Sergeant Bluff-Luton 22
The Warriors were playing without standout small forward Daniel Wright, but were still able to come out hot against the guys from Omaha and grab and early lead. The lead, though, was short-lived. A massive scoring drought doomed the Warriors in this one. And despite only being down 14-12 at the break, they were trounced in the second half by the talented Nebraska squad. Jake Layman, a 6’7 guard, showed that he can play with fluidity and handle the ball extremely well for a guy his size, but was extremely passive in this game, taking only three shots and scoring only three points. With him and the 6’7 Wright back net season, though, expect the Warriors to be right back in the thick of things come 3A state tourney time.
Omaha Biliew
Dowling 43 vs Creighton Prep 29
The Maroons looked like a well-oiled machine during their comfortable win over fellow parochial Creighton Prep. The scoring from Dowling started with a massive baseline jam by 6’7 incoming freshman Omaha Biiew, one of the nation’s most highly touted 2023s. That set the tone, and Dowling never looked back. Reserve point guard Michael Keough, a 5’9 rising senior was simply outstanding in this one, managing the game masterfully and scoring almost at will to the tune of a game-high 13 points. Whereas Ryan Riggs and Matt Stilwill were the stars for Dowling in their first game, Biliew and Keough impressed here. The Maroons certainly have plenty of firepower, and should again be in the mix when talking about Class 4A state qualifiers next season.
Bellevue West (NE) 63 vs Ames 34
In what appeared to be a devastating blow for the Little Cyclones, star point guard Tamin Lipsey was being carried by his teammates from one court to the next with a large ice pack wrapped around his knee. The 6’2 rising sophomore had reportedly sustained the leg injury in the prior game and needed to be helped off the court then. That seemed to take some wind out of the Little Cyclones, who were walloped by Nebraska’s Bellevue West. We do not know the severity of the Lipsey injury, but if it’s serious enough that he’ll miss some or all of next season, that would be crippling to any Ames state title hopes. As it was, the Little Cyclones got a big performance from rising senior forward Jonah Strawhacker, he put in a team-high 12 points. Rising junior point guard Keyshaun Brooks showed flashes of excellence with a quick first step and plus athleticism. With Lipsey the Little Cyclones are top-tier, without him, they’re good.