Week 8: Top Performers
In this article:
Tipton-Rosemark Academy and FACS went to battle this week, and both teams played hard from the tip.
Bartlett and Collierville were in a close one Saturday night.
I was on hand for both games, and there were top performers from both matchups.
Here are the top performers from both games.
Daniel Egbuniwe Daniel Egbuniwe 6'6" | SF FACS | 2022 State TN , FACS: The junior forward led the Crusaders with 24 points in their 67-52 win over the Tipton-Rosemark Academy Rebels. Egbuniwe had to play hard on both ends of the floor. He couldn’t take a play off because he had to guard Alex Anderson Alex Anderson 6'7" | SF Tipton-Rosemark Academy | 2021 TN , and everyone knows he’s a hand full to deal with. The 6-foot-7 forward, along with some help from teammates, were able to hold Anderson to 16 points.
Egbuniwe contested Anderson’s shots at the rim. He made Anderson’s life in the paint difficult. On the offensive end, Egbuniwe made shots his team needed in the second half to pull away. He used his ball handles at times to get into the lane. It was on notice Tuesday night.
Kobe Wilkes Kobe Wilkes 6'0" | PG FACS | 2022 State TN , FACS: The junior guard can’t be left open. He can shoot the 3. Wilkes made TRA play in the first half by making four from deep. Outside of Corey Savage Corey Savage 6'0" | SG FACS | 2022 State TN , who scored 10 points, Wilkes is probably the team’s next best shooter. He has a great release and tends to take great shots.
Kameron Jones Kameron Jones 6'4" | PG ECS | 2021 State #177 Nation TN , ECS: The senior point guard led the Eagles with 19 points in their 54-34 win over Fayette Academy. The Marquette commit had a handful of nice assists as well, not forcing shots while his teammates were open. Jones plays under control, which will help him at the next level.
Tadarius Jacobs Tadarius Jacobs 6'1" | CG Bartlett | 2021 State TN , Bartlett: Jacobs scored only two points in the first half Saturday night. He went on to score 19 in the second half to lead the Panthers to a 63-53 home win over Collierville. Jacobs’ teammates were struggling offensively, so his production – along with solid defense from Bartlett – helped the team get the win.
As I said before, Jacobs, who also had four rebounds and two steals, prefers great shots instead of jacking up a high volume of shots. His father echoed that after the game. That’s what makes Jacobs so valuable to the Panthers.
Here are the rest of the top performers from this week.
Braeden Moore Braeden Moore 6'8" | PF Christ Presbyterian Academy | 2022 CA-S , CPA: Moore had 30 points and 10 rebounds in his team’s win over Webb School.
JaQuan Lax JaQuan Lax 6'1" | PG Bolivar Central | 2021 State TN , Bolivar: Lax led the Tigers with 27 points in their 76-69 win over Bolivar. Trey Henderson finished with 22.
Jaylan Wetzel Jaylan Wetzel 6'1" | SG Siegel | 2021 State TN , Siegel: Wetzel had 17 points in the Stars’ 49-46 win over Blackman. Martise Jackson added 10, including the game-winning 3 from the corner.
Luke Moore, Fayette Academy: Moore led the Vikings with 16 points in their 37-35 win over Jackson Christian.
Joshua Ward, FACS: Ward had 19 points and five rebounds in the Crusaders’ 56-50 win over Sacred Heart. TJ Thomas had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists. Corey Savage added 13 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Micah Simpson Micah Simpson 6'0" | PG Morristown East | 2022 State TN , Morristown East: Simpson had 25 points and six assists in a win over Morristown West. He had 34 points, eight assists and seven steals in a win over Jeff.
Davon Barnes Davon Barnes 6'5" | SF Collierville | 2021 State TN , Collierville: Barnes had 16 points in the Dragons’ 60-38 win over Harding Academy. Danny Perry finished with 13, and Jordan Jenkins added 10.
Matthew Schneider Matthew Schneider 6'5" | CG Siegel | 2021 State TN , Siegel: Schneider had 29 points, nine rebounds and two assists in a win over Riverdale. He went 11 for 13 from the field. Zion Swader Zion Swader 6'0" | PG Siegel | 2021 State TN had 18 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Jensen Linton Jensen Linton 6'5" | SF Eagleville | 2021 State TN , Eagleville: Linton had 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals in a loss to Moore County.
Riggs Abner Riggs Abner 6'6" | SG Green Hill | 2021 State TN , Greeneville: Abner had 18 points and nine rebounds in a win over Mount Juliet. In a win over Lebanon, the senior had 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Kley McGowan Kley McGowan 6'4" | SG Cleveland | 2021 State TN , Cleveland: McGowan had 28 points in a win over South Doyle. Grant Hurst had 17.
Judah Sault Judah Sault 6'5" | SF Cleveland | 2023 State TN , Cleveland: Sault had 14 against in a win over Sequoyah.
BJ Edwards, Knoxville Catholic: Edwards had 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a win over Providence Academy. Blue Cain Blue Cain 6'4" | SG IMG Academy | 2023 State #102 Nation FL finished with 18.
PJ Smith PJ Smith 5'11" | PG Goodpasture | 2021 State TN , Goodpasture: Smith had 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in a win over Nashville Christian. Isaiah West Isaiah West 6'3" | SG Goodpasture | 2023 State #216 Nation TN added 12 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.