Top Performers: Fort Lauderdale
Chase Johnston, Westminster Academy
Johnston is known for his blink-quick shot release and adroit 3-point shooting, an attribute which has resulted in many pegging him as the best shooter in Florida.
Yet during his recent 12-point, six assist, six rebound and six steal performance during a 56-54 win over Miami Norland, Johnston made it clear you can’t pigeonhole him as a “shooter.”
He’s got the all-around game and high level awareness, an underrated tenet of his Division-I prospect package.
IQ, poise, and unselfishness are immeasurable intangibles which add a layer of intrigue to his Johnston’s NCAA profile.
Johnston connected on 4-of-5 beyond 3-point territory, with defenders face guarding him and applying intensified close out pressure.
Johnston’s 3-point acumen sliced the deficit while simultaneously sparking Westminster during the fourth quarter.
The Class of 2019 combination guard drained a trey that knotted it up at 46-all and drilled one from the parking lot on the ensuing possession to give the Lions a 49-46 edge.
Westminster, which also came roaring back from a deficit to defeat Florida Prep last weekend, erased a 41-27 deficit in the come from behind victory.
Zach Scott, Westminster Academy
It’s been a thick dose of deja vu for hyper-clutch Florida Gulf Coast-bound guard Zach Scott this season.
During Westminster’s state title win and in various games throughout the 2017 state tournament, Scott was constantly there to deliver big buckets in crunch time. Go-ahead buckets and timely shots from Scott enabled the 6-foot-4 guard to lead by action.
He began the season with a maniacal three-quarter court buzzer beater to defeat North Miami Beach at the HoopHall Invitational. Against Florida Prep, Scott got free for a go-ahead bucket in overtime after Dudley Blackwell canned a crucial 3-pointer to force overtime.
Against Miami Norland during the MLK classic at Grandview it was–surprise, surprise–Scott who knocked back a pair of go-ahead free throws with 1:55 remaining.
Antonio Daye, Fort Lauderdale
Since a 41-point explosion at the start of the season, Daye made it clear he had the essential scoring gifts to assume the role of alpha dog.
The Class of 2019 guard provided timely buckets en route to a 23-point performance during a 73-63 loss to a Westwood Christian team that’s beginning to gel at the right time. Led by Purdue signee in 6-foot-11 Center Emmanuel Dowuona (who submitted a game-best 26 points), Westwood Christian features an under the radar perimeter oriented four-man in 6-foot-9 Sebastian Guitian (11 points).