Sidney Lanier vs. Briarcrest Christian Hotbed Classic
This past weekend in New Albany, Mississippi one of the premier high school basketball events took place featuring some of the top teams and prospects from across the southeast. The 29th annual Hotbed Classic has been a southeastern staple that…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThis past weekend in New Albany, Mississippi one of the premier high school basketball events took place featuring some of the top teams and prospects from across the southeast. The 29th annual Hotbed Classic has been a southeastern staple that has featured some legendary names like Erick Dampier, Ron Mercer, and Brian Williams just to name a few. This year the names were definitely in the building and did not disappoint.
Teams | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4TH | Total |
Sidney Lanier Poets (AL) | 14 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 70 |
Briarcrest Christian Saints (TN) | 19 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 89 |
After a hard-fought overtime loss to its area opponent and biggest rival the night before, the Poets made the 4 and a half hour trip to New Albany, Ms to face a very talented Saints team. After a very competitive first half of play, the Saints came out in the second half and took full advantage of a Poets team who looked to simply run out of gas.
Here is a look at some standout players from two of the more competitive teams from Alabama and Tennessee.
Briarcrest:
Kennedy Chandler, 6’0 PG, 2021: This 5-star junior showed why he is one of the most highly-rated players in the country. His ability to not only control the pace but he made it hard for the Poets to pressure the Saints with his ability to be a one-man press break. He had 32 points on 11 for 14 shooting including 5 out of 6 from 3 and 5 for 7 from the line. He added 8 assists but however, did have 7 turnovers. He consistently was able to breakdown the defense and either get to the rim and finish or make scoring opportunities for his teammates. He was lights out from deep going 5 for 5 before missing his only 3 late in the 4th quarter. He showed why he is considered one of the top players in the country in the class of 2021.
Marcellus Brigham, 6’6 PF, 2020: The versatile big man was a monster throughout the entire contest for the Saints. With 17 points and 11 rebounds (10 of that defensive), he was able to limit 2nd shot opportunities for the Poets. He was 5 for 8 for the floor including 1 for 3 behind the arch. One of the more impressive stats was his ability to go 6 for 6 from the free-throw line many of those in the fourth quarter helping put the game away. Jacksonville State is getting a good one in this kid next season.
Scooter Malone: 6’3 WG, 2020: Though he didn’t have a huge scoring night his ability to control pace and guard the bigger guards for Lanier was something that won’t show up on the stat sheets. His ability to play multiple positions on the perimeter offensively makes the Saints hard to guard with multiple ballhandlers. With 10 points on 3 of 8 shooting and 4 assists, his overall impact like mentioned didn’t really show up in the stat sheet, but his contribution was a main key in helping his team get the win.
Lanier:
Antwan Burnett, 6’5 SG, 2020: With a game-high 33 points “AB” played all 5 positions for the Poets on both offense and defense. He went to war with the bigs of Briarcrest and stepped out and guarded point guards also. His ability to score the ball from all three levels while bullying smaller defenders and going around bigs was fun to watch. He went 12 of 21 from the floor with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Though the outcome wasn’t what he wanted for his team he showed very well in a high-level contest.
Joshua “Greedy” Williams, 6’3 PG, 2021: This prospect seems to have grown every time he steps on the floor. With his continued work on and off the court, he is looking more and more promising game by game. Though he couldn’t get his shot to fall in this contest he showed the skillset to get any shot he wants against high-level talent. Even though the basket was small he showed an improved ability to get his teammates involved finishing with 8 assists on the night. His 2:1 assist to turnover ratio as the primary ball-handler against the constant Saints pressure.
JaDamion Givan, 6’4 SF, 2021: Over the last several games for the Poets “JD” has really stepped up his scoring output while playing stronger on the glass. His ability to shoot the ball from 3 point range is a mismatch nightmare for many teams due to the Poets not being a very big team. He went 5 for 6 from the floor including 4/5 from 3-point range scoring 14 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and collecting 3 steals.