Five Things to Know – Sioux Valley 72 Chester Area 48

Sioux Valley earned the Big East Conference Tournament Championship Saturday with a 24 point win over Chester Area.  Here are you Five Things to Know.  One.  Kelton VincentKeltonVincent5'11" | PGSioux Valley | 2021StateSD’s Stock is On the Rise.   Six foot guard Kelton VincentKeltonVincent5'11" | PGSioux Valley | 2021StateSD is the type of player that many colleges would love to have.  Vincent is a brilliant passer that understands the pressures that ball movement and activity can put on a defense.  Vincent’s snap ball reversals are my favorite passes from him but his quick transition pushes with a long pass are also high quality.  Add in the timing and placement on a couple lobs plus his feeds off the ball screen are outstanding.  Vincent had 11 assists plus a couple key triples late in the game that led to his 13 points and the Cossacks run that put the game away.  Love Vincent’s handles, vision, ball handling, and ability to make shooting the basketball easier for his teammates. It would be hard to find another player have as much impact on the game the way Kelton did while taking only seven shots.  Two.  Puetz Puts a Stamp on the Game. Another player that could use yesterday’s game tape as one to send to college programs was 6-foot-3 wing Parker PuetzParkerPuetz6'3" | SFSioux Valley | 2022StateSD.  The shooting stroke of Puetz looked beautiful with a pretty release  and solid lift over the contesting defender.  Puetz went on a four score run late in the game that included a lob finish off a baseline in-bounds play plus three straight triples.  Parker finished with 23 points, seven boards, and four assists shooting 8 of 15 from the field.  Good physical measures, showed the needed skill today, and plays for a program that you know teaches their kids how to play.   Three.  They Will Eventually Overwhelm You. Sioux Valley’s offensive approach is one of discipline, activity, and patience.  They move the ball in a way that tires some defenses and destroys others (defenses that don’t work with discipline).  The Cossacks scored 26 field goals yesterday and we credited them for 24 assists.  That’s a great example of how the team wins games offensively with structure.  Their sets were ran nearly to perfection, the transition pushes punished Chester Area regularly, and the halfcourt ball movement ranks with the best I’ve seen. Chester Area played with Sioux Valley for a time but their defense cracked early and couldn’t recover.   Four.  Playing the Role. I really enjoyed watching Hayden RuesinkHaydenRuesink6'3" | SFSioux Valley | 2022StateSD, the 6-foot-5 Sioux Valley junior, play his role.  It was a pleasure to see Ruesink get in a stance, move Chester Area players off the block while following the ball and sending out directions, and then sprint the floor the other way.  Ruseink grabbed nine rebounds and cut to the front of the rim for a dozen points.  Hayden scored his dozen points shooting 6 of 7 taking advantage of what the defense gave him and never forcing a play.   Five.  Chester Area’s 1-2 punch.  The depth wasn’t there for the Flyers to compete for the full 32 minutes of this game but 6-foot-1 junior Stratton EppardStrattonEppard6'0" | PGChester Area | 2022StateSD and 5-foot-10 freshman Jovi Wolf gave the Flyers a fighting chance.  Eppard is a strong guard that often has to be defended by a bigger player because his frame carries 190 pounds of muscle.  He looks like a college linebacker with the skills to create offense for himself and others.  Eppard was 5 of 11 from the floor for his 10 points, six assists, and four boards. Wolf is a freshman to know going forward.  His shooting touch, confidence, and creative ability on the offensive end jumped off the screen (watching the game online).  Wolf had a team high 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting doing an excellent job of using a dribble to step to space.