Back to the Courts Jan 8: NE Kansas breakout games
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Basketball is back for teams all over northeast Kansas. Some players in the area had some breakout performances, while others stepped up in unexpected roles (in alphabetical order): Neo Byrd, junior, Riverside: The usually high-scoring Bray Davis tossed in just…
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Continue ReadingBasketball is back for teams all over northeast Kansas. Some players in the area had some breakout performances, while others stepped up in unexpected roles (in alphabetical order):
Neo Byrd, junior, Riverside:
The usually high-scoring Bray Davis tossed in just 8 points against Jefferson West. So Byrd stepped up, scoring 16 to lead to a 50-47 victory Friday. The 5-foot-10 Byrd doesn’t always have to score a lot from his point guard position, but he can, as evidenced by the 18 he put up against Doniphan West, and 14 against Hiawatha, which included 4-6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Isiah Holz, senior, St. Marys:
Helping the Bears to the #6 ranking in 3A, Holz is one of a talented cast at St. Marys. He’s come up big in a couple of big wins, including the 13 he scored against Royal Valley. Friday night he had his season high 15 points.
Keon Hula, junior, Council Grove:
Hula is a skilled big man – he can move with surprising smoothness for a big man, has great ball skills and is a threat inside and out. He hadn’t put those skills into a big scoring night yet, but he popped for 17 against Northern Heights Friday.
Jacob Jueneman, senior, Hanover:
On the tall and talented Wildcats club, Jacob Jueneman doesn’t have to score a lot. He puts his 6-foot-4 frame to use in may other valuable ways. But he turned in 16 points Friday in a convincing 74-53 win over Twin Valley League rival Frankfort.
Miles Kitselman, senior, Lyndon:
Kitselman is one of several talented producers for the #4 team in 2A. It seems they have a different combination of top scorers each game, but they keep winning. So Kitselman, an honorable mention 2A performer last year, doesn’t always score a lot of points. But he had 13 in an impressive win over the undefeated Indians of Osage City.
Zac Kramer, junior, Nemaha Central:
Kramer is an important complement to the size of the Beck twins for the Thunder. He turns in a quality performance night-in and night-out, such as the 16 points he poured in against Holton Friday. The 5-foot-10 junior is one of Nemaha Central’s few experienced players, so he is critical to keeping everyone playing in tune.
Wyatt Lange, senior, Clifton-Clyde:
Lange kept the Eagles on the winning track coming off the break with 26 points Axtell. Clifton-Clyde has a lot of veterans back who can do a lot on the court. So the 6-foot-6 Lange isn’t always a big scorer, averaging 10 points as a junior. But with
Kael McQueen, senior, Wetmore:
The guard attack at Wetmore just comes at opponents in fast moving waves. The 5-foot-10 McQueen was crucial against Blue Valley-Randolph with 16 points.
Mason Thomas Mason Thomas 6'4" | SF Royal Valley | 2022 State KS , junior, Royal Valley (pictured):
Thomas continues to turn in quality performances in support of fellow juniors Nahcs Wahwassuck Nahcs Wahwassuck 6'5" | CG Royal Valley | 2022 State KS and Brady Klotz Brady Klotz 6'4" | SF Royal Valley | 2022 State KS . The 6-foot-3 junior tossed in his season high 15, including two triples, in a win over Sabetha. It was his fourth double-digit performance of the campaign.