8 Standouts: LIT Quarterfinals
The Louisville Invitational Tournament Quarterfinals at Valley High School took place Wednesday, January 15th. Some of the best talent around the Louisville area and in the state was displayed on the court. Here are the results: – Male defeated Eastern,…
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Continue ReadingThe Louisville Invitational Tournament Quarterfinals at Valley High School took place Wednesday, January 15th. Some of the best talent around the Louisville area and in the state was displayed on the court. Here are the results:
– Male defeated Eastern, 65-53.
– Ballard defeated Butler, 85-72.
– Fern Creek defeated Seneca, 61-49.
– Trinity defeated PRP, 67-61.
I will be discussing one player that stood out from each of these 8 teams that played in the LIT quarterfinals.
8 Standouts
Gabe Sisk (Ballard)
The freshman guard has one of the prettiest strokes I have seen. He knocked down three 3s in their matchup against Butler. He finished with a game-high 23 points. He also shot 5-6 from the free throw line. The freshman is calm, cool, and collected. He has an abundance amount of confidence in his game (as he should). The kid can flat out score the ball and he is one of the many reasons this Ballard team has found success this year.
Zek Montgomery (Fern Creek)
The Junior guard was excellent in their victory over Seneca. He finished with a game-high 20 points. He was a beast on the glass as he collected 8 boards. He displayed some of his versatility down-low with his quick spin moves and finishes under the rim. Zek is a very talented player and still has room to grow with his one more year in high school. This is a very loaded Junior class on the Fern Creek team (Jaden Rogers, Darrius Washington, CeArius Warren, Caden Bradford). This team is starting to click at the right time. My pick to win the 6th region.
Tyren Moore (Male)
The Lincoln-Memorial signee with yet again another great performance. He finished with a team-high 18 points against Eastern. Moore can shoot the ball like crazy as he hit 5 threes in this matchup. For a point guard he sure does like to get down-low for defensive rebounds as he collected 5 of them. The senior point guard is one of the best in the state and probably the main reason as to why the Male Bulldogs are finding great success. He likes to shine in the big moments. I am excited to see what he brings out against one of the top teams in the state, Ballard, on Friday.
Ethan Hodge (Trinity — Louisville)
The Xavier baseball commit finished with a team-high 17 points as Trinity defeated PRP. He may be committed for baseball but this kid can really play basketball too. His driving and finishing ability looks effortless. He is very calm and smart with the ball. He takes his time when making a decision and makes sure the ball goes where it needs to be. While driving the ball, he knows how to use his body to draw contact and get to the free throw line. Trinity trying to reach the LIT championship and take home the title for the 3rd year in a row.
Josh Williams (PRP)
Despite the loss to Trinity, Williams scored the most points by one player in the LIT quarterfinals with 25 points. He snatched 5 rebounds as well. Josh has great feel for the game. Heading into the 4th quarter PRP was done by 14 points. Williams had a way about him that wanted to keep fighting and PRP actually ended up cutting the lead down to 3 points with under 2 minutes to go in the game. PRP came up short but I loved the fight from them and Williams.
Delshawn Simms (Seneca)
Simms finished with a team-high 19 points. He also had a will to win and tried to help his team fight back into the game but Fern Creek was just too much for Seneca. Seneca sits in a very difficult 7th region. It’s going to take a lot for them to come out of the region with other teams like Ballard and Male. It is doable but Simms has to be Seneca’s first scoring option in my opinion. He can shoot the ball as he hit 4 threes and he can also finish at the basket with ease with his shiftiness.
Ben Craig (Eastern)
The Junior guard finished with a game-high 19 points. He scored 11 of his 19 points in the 4th quarter. Craig has a sweet mid-range jumper. He also knows how to get down-low and finish under the rim against the bigs. Craig went 3-7 at the free throw line, if he hit all of his free throws then it would’ve cut the lead even more. Eastern has two very talented sophomores (James Jewell & Christian Spalding) and a Junior in Ben Craig. They are young now but they are going to be really good next season.
Trey Minter (Butler)
The Senior guard finished with a team-high 16 points. Minter has a really pretty shot. He only made one 3-pointer in this game but you can just tell he is very comfortable with shooting it. He shows great leadership for this Butler team. They have some young talented guys that have been struggling so far this season, so Butler has needed some leadership and Minter has been that for them. This loss against Ballard drops them to 9-6 of the year. Butler needs to step it up if they want to get out of a region that looks very manageable to get out of.
What to Look For
The LIT semifinal matchups are Friday beginning at 6:30pm at Valley High School. Here is the lineup:
6:30pm – Male vs Ballard
8pm – Fern Creek vs Trinity (Louisville)