Day One State Tournament Top Performers: Class A (Part 2)
The evening slate of games started with 7 seed Papillion LaVista South vs 2 seed Millard North. Papio South hung with the star studded Millard North Mustangs all night and even tied the game with under one minute to go.…
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Continue ReadingThe evening slate of games started with 7 seed Papillion LaVista South vs 2 seed Millard North. Papio South hung with the star studded Millard North Mustangs all night and even tied the game with under one minute to go. It took a last second shot for the Mustangs to advance with a 62-60 victory over the Titans. The last game of the night was a rematch of the 2019 state championship game between Omaha South and Omaha Central. After a back and forth game, Omaha South pulled ahead in the final 6 seconds with 2 clutch free throws from Tyrece Griggs Tyrece Griggs 6'0" | SG Omaha South | 2020 State NE . Central’s shot to win at the buzzer hit every part of the rim before rattling out. Omaha South won 48-47. These are the 6 players that impressed from the evening slate of games.
Danair Dempsey Danair Dempsey 6'6" | PF Papillion-LaVista South | 2021 State NE (20 points,12 rebounds, 3 assists)
Facing a Millard North team filled with Division 1 talent, Dempsey looked like the best player on the floor for most of the game. He was relentless attacked the rim and finished over bigger defenders all night. The 6’6 forward brought energy on both ends of the court and had a handful of second chance points, including a one handed dunk in traffic after following his own miss. Dempsey rebounds, gets up and down the court, and can handle the ball and make decisions. He has potential to be an impact player at the next level, but will spend next season as one of the top seniors in the state.
Jared Mattley Jared Mattley 6'1" | CG Papillion-LaVista South | 2020 State NE (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists)
Mattley didn’t have his best shooting performance, but found other ways to impact the game. He had good court vision to find open shots for his teammates and attacked the glass to help the Titans out rebound the tallest team in the state. The shots he did make showed off the variety of ways he can score. Mattley created opportunities for himself, buried a deep three pointer, and made off balance shots.
Hunter Sallis Hunter Sallis 6'4" | CG Millard North | 2021 State #8 Nation NE (20 points, 1 steal, 56% field goal percentage)
Sallis is one of the top ranked high school players in the country and he showed why against Papio South with creative finishes and powerful dunks. At 6’5, Sallis has a quick first step and a tight handle on the ball. He had no problem getting to the rim or creating shots for himself in the mid range. He can float at the rim and adjust his shot to avoid contact or finish through it. Sallis had the highlight on the evening with a tomahawk poster dunk in transition off a good feed from Jadin Johnson Jadin Johnson 6'4" | PG Millard North | 2021 State NE .
Saint Thomas Saint Thomas 6'6" | CG Millard North | 2021 State NE (14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists)
Thomas had a great performance against the Titans, leading his team in rebounds and assists. He is active on the defensive glass, can get the ball up the court quickly himself as the ball handler, and has good vision in transition. He is physical attacking the basket, can move players out of his way, and finish through contact. Thomas saved his best shot for last when he drove a gap in the defense and hit the game winning bucket with under 6 seconds left in regulation.
Skyler Wilson Skyler Wilson 6'0" | PG Omaha South | 2020 State NE (18 points, 2 steals, 88% field goal percentage)
Wilson couldn’t miss and lead his team to a win with his efficient scoring performance. The senior guard scored from everywhere. He beat his defenders off the dribble and used ball screens to get all the way to the rim or finished with floaters. When Skyler got an offense rebound and the defense didn’t match up, he dribbled out and hit a deep three pointer. Wilson controlled the offense for his team and only missed one shot against Central.
Latrell Wrightsell Jr Latrell Wrightsell Jr 6'1" | CG Omaha Central | 2020 State NE . (22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals)
Wrightsell led all scorers in the evening slate of games with a versatile scoring attack. He gets downhill in transition and is tough to stop when he is headed to the rim. He can throw his body into defenders to draw contact or float through the air and adjust his shot to avoid shot blockers. Once the defense started focusing on defending at the rim, he dribbled into a deep three in transition. Wrightsell left momentarily with an injury in the 4th quarter, but he was able to come back and score one last bucket as a Central Eagle.
Checkout the players that impressed from the afternoon slate of games in the link below!