Westside’s Senior Trio Held off Titans Late Run to Advance to 3-1 on the year.
Westside’s Senior Trio Held off Titans Late Run to Advance to 3-1. The Papillion-La Vista South Titans hosted the Westside warriors this Saturday in what turned out to be a highly competitive match up. Westside was in the driver’s seat…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWestside’s Senior Trio Held off Titans Late Run to Advance to 3-1.
The Papillion-La Vista South Titans hosted the Westside warriors this Saturday in what turned out to be a highly competitive match up. Westside was in the driver’s seat for most of the game and after a flurry of three-pointers with just under the eight minutes to play they were able to stretch their lead to double digits at 53-42. Right on cue, the Titans had a 10-0 run of their own led by Danair Dempsey to get within 1. The Titans were never able to pull out in front as Westside managed to handle their business from the charity stripe as they went on to win 65-58.
Here are four takeaways about some of the top performers in this one:
- Jadin Booth has Unlimited Range: The Westside Senior is known as one of the best 3-point shooters in the state already. On Saturday he filled up from deep. 15 of his 21 points coming from beyond the arc, and it was highly efficient as he ended the day shooting 50% from deep. A couple of these were NBA range with a hand right in his face. Off the catch, off the bounce, uncontested, contested, it doesn’t matter with this kid he’s going to fill it up. The UNO commit seems like he will be a perfect fit for Coach Hansen’s offense next season.
- Danair Dempsey is an elite athlete: The new kid on the block who recently transferred in from Wichita, Kansas was special on Saturday. He was a huge part of their 10-0 run in the second half. He did a great job of slipping off-ball screens and going up strong. There were a few moments where he didn’t get the first attempt on a layup to fall and he showed off his explosiveness with a quick second jump to finish the job on a put-back. His second jump is second to none, he’s a special athlete. He stuffed the box score with 20 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He made a big impact on defense not allowing Westside to get much going at the rim in the half-court.
- Westside has a great senior Trio: The Warriors are almost always going to have more experienced personnel on the floor during crunch time. They have two other excellent senior guards that made their impact felt Saturday. Pj Ngambi and Carl Brown are two uncommitted seniors that local coaches should be watching. Ngambi is a slippery, quick ball-handler who is best when he’s looking to attack the rim and be a playmaker. Carl Brown is a strong kid who likes to shoot the 3 and plays with a high IQ. Ngambi ended with 14 and Brown tallied 11. Booth, Ngambi, and Brown are going to give the Warriors a chance to beat anyone especially if they are hot from beyond the arc.
- Sophomore standouts: Both teams had some young guys make big plays in this one. Westside’s Chandler Meeks affects the game in so many ways. Meeks ended the game with 11 points but the most impressive thing was his ability to rebound for his height. Meeks is listed at six feet but managed to haul in 9 rebounds. He also got 2 steals, and a huge block late in the game. Papillion South also had sophomore Daniel Brocaille making plays for them. He had some tough finishes around the rim. He showed off high IQ early with a well-timed back cut for an easy bucket. Brocaille ended with an efficient 9 points going 4-6 from the field.
Danair Dempsey was a stand out performer leading the way for Papillion-La Vista South with 20 points.