12 Courts of Christmas: Weekend Standouts
In this article:
Prep Hoops Missouri takes a look at the top standouts from the weekend games at the 12 Court of Christmas, which were held on Saturday and Sunday at the HyVee Arena in Kansas City.
Brayden Shorter Brayden Shorter 6'5" | SF Springfield Kickapoo | 2023 State MO 6’5 Kickapoo: The 2023 forward scored a team-high 19 points in the Chiefs thrilling overtime victory over Park Hill. After a low-scoring first half, he came up with a big second half and he was terrific in the clutch. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the closing seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime, then he opened the extra session with a transition dunk to give ‘Poo the lead to stay. He’s a dangerous 3-point shooter with solid athleticism and rebounding ability. He’s been averaging 18 points a game so far this season.
Isaia Howard 6’2 Plattsburg: The talented 2024 guard had one of the best individual performances of the early days of the event when he went for 40 points in an overtime loss to Capital City. He was on fire in the first half with 26 points, which forced Cap City to double and triple him every time he touched the ball in the second half. He has smooth handles with good pace and change of directions. He slashed well and he scored at all three levels. It was an impressive show.
Marqueas Bell Marqueas Bell 6'2" | SG Park Hill | 2023 State MO 6’3 Park Hill: The 2023 guard scored a game-high 27 points in the Trojans overtime loss to Kickapoo. He’s a smooth offensive player who plays the game at his own pace and he doesn’t get sped up. The lanky lefty can cover a lot of ground with the dribble with his long and loping stride. His mid-range pull up is also smooth and he has 3-point range to go along with it.
Darin Conley Darin Conley 6'5" | PF Pembroke Hill | 2023 State MO 6’4 Pembroke Hill: The 2023 forward had a dominating performance in his team’s victory over Des Moines North. Nicknamed “Diesel,” the 210-pounder was a force at both ends of the court as he had 27 points, 15 rebounds and a number of blocked shots. He was throwing down dunks in transition and getting buckets inside, where he was unstoppable on this day.
Corde’ Brown 6’0 Capital City: The 2022 guard had 21 points and nine rebounds in the Cavs’ overtime victory over Plattsburg in a very exciting game on Saturday. He did most of his damage in the second half as he led his team on a big rally from a double-digit deficit for the win. He was a force around the basket as he scored on power drives and offensive rebounds. He plays much bigger than his size with his strength and motor. Whenever his team needed him to make a play down the stretch, he delivered in a big way.