The Weekend Elite (SD)
What players shined the brightest in South Dakota this past weekend? PHD gives you a group of six that stood out the most!
Akoi Akoi & Zach Norton of SF O’Gorman. The Knights extended their winning streak to five games with senior guard Zach Norton knocking down four threes on his way to 21 points while Akoi Akoi seemingly did everything else for his team. Akoi had a 17 point, 10 board double-double constantly grabbing the defensive board and kickstarting the transition on his own. Add in Akoi’s three steals, five assists, and you have an all around great game. Norton was 8 of 13 from the field overall for his 21.
Chase Arend of Bridgewater-Emery. The Huskies are starting to come around. They are taking care of the teams they should be and recently earned an important win over Sanborn Central/Woonsocket and then crushed winless Freeman this weekend. Chase Arend, a 5-foot-10 senior guard put forth a massive energy effort with 31 points on 13 field goal makes plus he was in the passing lanes for six steals.
Benny Benson of Oelrichs (Jr). A submission we were excited to see comes from Oelrichs High School after their 20 point win over Phillip boosting their record to .500 on the season. What’s really encouraging about Benny is that he is a 6-foot-4, 175 pound wing that has perimeter skills but also has big man experience because he is the biggest person on his team. Benny had a double-double of 24 points and 12 boards plus dished out 7 assists meaning a lot goes through him and this could be a triple-double candidate in games to come. Benny will handle the ball, play the wing, then go pull down the boards and push the other way.
Cooper Cornemann of Yankton (Sr). The 6-foot-2 senior is known for his knock down shooting ability and as the balance of the Yankton Bucks team continues to grow, Cornemann is getting more and more space to work with. In a 57-38 win over Lincoln Cooper scored 22 points making half of his attempts with most coming from the perimeter. Add in the ever increasing production of 6-foot-10 Hunter Kotrous (had a dozen points) and you have a Yankton team getting better with each game.
Brady Fritz of Winner. It’s one thing to go for a big scoring night and to beat an inferior opponent but it’s another to record 33 points and defeat a 5-2 team while putting over half of your team’s points in the books (62-53 victory). Brady did more than that though as he dished out five assists (that became another dozen points) and he was responsible for at least nine open high percentage looks for his teammates. Add in his share plus on the glass and it was another big game for the 6-foot-2 junior.
Kalen Garry of De Smet (Soph). The top ranked Bulldogs held their yard with a 63-44 win over third ranked St. Mary’s and they did it with another all around team effort. Garry has already topped the 30 point spot multiple times this year but in a big game like this, a 25 point outing complete with a strong effort on the glass and a quick transition push to playmake for others often equates to an even better game. Garry continues to make his case as state’s top sophomore.