Five Takeaways: Lee’s Summit North vs Lee’s Summit Round 2
Lee’s Summit North took on Lee’s Summit in the 5th place consolation game of the Culver’s Classic on Friday night. This was another one for the books as the Lee’s Summit North Broncos were able to hold off a late come back and pick up the 75-74 win over the Lee’s Summit Tigers. The Broncos led by as many as 14 in the first half and had a double digit lead through most of the 3rd quarter, but Lee’s Summit would go on a run and really make it a game. The Tigers were able to pull withing 1 a couple times late in the game, but a couple of 3’s by Javaunte Hawkins late helped spring the Broncos and get the win. Hawkins led the Broncos with five 3’s and 21 points. Sophomore Jaden Moore led the Tigers with 26 points.
Farr & Hawkins…Best big & Little combo around?
Elijah Farr and Javaunte Hawkins look to be bonding very well as of lately and they have proven to be one of the better big man and guard combos around the area. Where these two really seem to be unstoppable is the pick and roll game. Teams know that Hawkins is a huge threat when shooting the ball, but he has really been dishing it well lately as well. Farr has taken advantage of that and has really had some big games this year. The big man has great moves in the post and he has a pretty sweet stroke from the outside as well. In the first half, Hawkins drove the lane and found Farr on the backside for a nice one handed slam that really gave the Broncos a huge momentum boost. If the defense overplays Javaunte, he knows that Farr will be open for an easy bucket, but if there is any space, Hawkins isn’t afraid to pull the trigger. Hawkins finished the game with a team high 21 points, but also added 4 assists and 5 boards. Farr finished with a smooth 18 points and 8 rebounds.
Big game from Sophomore Jaden Moore!
The first time these two teams met up, Moore really struggled from the field and had one of his worst games of the season. That wasn’t the case Friday night as he was out to prove a point. If Moore was open, he was more than likely going to hit the shot. He went 6-6 in the first half and almost all of his points were coming from 15 ft on in. He is a real threat especially if he is able to find openings in a zone defense. The only worry in Jaden’s game is sometimes he is known to force up a contested shot when one of his teammates might have a better look, but it doesn’t happen all too often. He has really improved from his Freshman year, and look for him to continue to be a leader even though he is one of the young ones on this Lee’s Summit team. Moore finished with a game high 26 points.
Mikel Henderson steps up!
Not many people know about Mikel Henderson, but he is a guard that has definitely been slept on. He continues to improve and although he usually doesn’t score a lot, he does a lot of the little things. He is a pest on the defensive end usually guarding the opposing team’s best guard. He also rebounds very well for a point guard, and is very reliable as he hit two clutch Free Throws to seal the game for the Broncos. Henderson had a big first half scoring 12 of his 16 points. Coach Hilbert had 4 bench players in the game in the 2nd quarter along with Henderson who is the starting point guard. At that point, Mikel knew that he had to be the #1 scoring option and he really took advantage. He hit a couple of big 3’s and was very aggressive off of the pick and roll in which got him a couple of easy buckets. As Henderson continues to get better, so does this Bronco team, and it could lead to a big second half of the season.
Lee’s Summit still sharing the ball very well.
As mentioned in other Articles, this Lee’s Summit Tigers team is one of the most fun teams to watch in the area. They are a very smart and unselfish team. On Friday night, they got help from a lot of their players and 4 of the 5 starters were able to score in double figures. Senior Guard Seth Romi who has already lit the Broncos up this year looked like he might do it again. He hit two early 3’s and then drilled a buzzer beating 3 right before the half to chop the Bronco lead to 9. Romi finished with 11 points. Deron McDaniel was on his game tonight and seemed to always hit the clutch shots for the Tigers. He hit a late 3 that cut the lead to 1, but there just wasn’t enough time for the Tigers to pull off the comeback win. McDaniel finished with 19 points. Last but not least, Will Eames continues to prove himself as of one of the most improved players out there. He struggled a bit in the first half shooting 1-6 from the field, but it’s hard to keep this guy from getting his for two straight halves. He was able to get hot and hit some big 3’s to come into the double digit lead that the Broncos had in the second half. Eames scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half.
Momentum builder for the Broncos?
It’s no secret that this Bronco team has struggled at times this season, but they have also really started playing well as of lately. They lost a heartbreaking game Monday in OT to a good Raytown Bluejays team, but came back strong to pick up two big wins to finish off the tournament. Those two wins could really be a big confidence booster and get this Broncos team headed in the right direction as Conference play picks up again next week. They will have a couple of tough games as Blue Springs South comes to Lee’s Summit North and then the Broncos head out to play the Lee’s Summit West Titans. We will see if they are able to continue down the right path.