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Friday at Marshall County

Draffenville, Ky-The best player at the Marshall County Hoopfest on Friday was Leslie McDonald (pictured).  The highly touted junior tallied 21 points and 12 rebounds but would it be enough to help Briarcrest past a tough Paducah Tilghman squad?  Read more for Friday’s results from Hoopfest.

Graves Co. (KY)- 62
Vienna (IL)- 61(overtime)

Vienna led until the final seconds of regulation when Graves Co.’s 6’1 junior Josh Doggett nailed a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.  Graves Co. started the extra period on a 6-0 run before Vienna hit back-to-back 3-pointers to get back to within a point, but it was too-little too-late as Graves Co. held on for the 62-61 upset.

Graves Co.’s 5’10 senior Justin Towery was named game MVP and finished with 16 points.

Vienna’s 6’11 senior Brett Thompson (a St. Louis recruit) finished with 25 points on 9-15 shooting and 13 rebounds.  He also had a handful of blocks.  Thompson is highly skilled for a player his size as he handles the ball well and can shoot with range (2-4 from deep in this game).  He repeatedly spun baseline for creative reverse layups showing off good body control.  Stronger and faster big men will give him problems at the next level (as Thompson isn’t a great athlete) but he has all the tools to become an impact player in the Atlantic 10 someday. 

Paducah Tilghman (KY)- 70
Briarcrest Christian (TN)- 63

Paducah Tilghman proved that they are going to be a top team in the Bluegrass this season as they knocked off a very talented Briarcrest Christian squad, 70-63.  Tilghman was led by 6’5 Isaac McClure who finished with 24 points (8-13 from the field), 11 rebounds and a handful of blocks.  McClure was the best under-the-radar prospect we saw on Friday as he is a bouncy athlete that is aggressive inside despite his thin frame.  Low-to Mid-Major programs looking for a high-energy forward should keep an eye on this senior.  Other players that had big games for the winners include 6’5 senior Stefon Perry (16 points and 5 rebounds) and 5’10 junior Bryon Wright (20 points and 4 assists).

Briarcrest was led by 6’4 junior Leslie McDonald’s 21 points and 12 rebounds.  McDonald, ranked 16th in the country in the class of 2009, has a smooth scoring game.  He shoots the ball well, especially in the midrange, and is tough to stop driving to the basket.  McDonald is being recruited by all of the elite schools and he said that he is currently considering North Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee, Indiana, Georgetown, Duke and Ohio State.

DeMatha Catholic (MD)- 77
Provine (MS)- 63

This was the best game on Friday from a talent standpoint as both DeMatha and Provine have rosters loaded with college-level talent.  DeMatha’s talent proved to be the best on this day as they turned a two point halftime lead into a 14 point victory by controlling the tempo in the second half.  The stags were led by a trio of talented underclassmen backcourt players: Naji Hibbert, Josh Selby and Quinn Cook.  Hibbert, a 6’5 junior with a number of High-Major scholarship offers, scored 15 points and showed off good athleticism and a nice stroke from deep.  Selby, a 6’2 combo guard that is a top-25 player in the sophomore class, finished with 14 points mostly off creative slashes to the hoop.  Cook is a 5’10 freshman point guard that we first told you about two summers ago when he was a top player at the 2006 Phenom Camp.  Despite having the slightest frame of any player on the court, Cook led DeMatha with 16 points (mostly off of 3-pointers and pull-up jumpers).

Provine was led by 6’3 senior Carl Blair’s 15 points.  Blair is an athletic wing that made a living by slashing to the hoop for tough finishes.  6’7 Emory Kelly, one of the highest rated juniors in Mississippi, scored 14 points while 6’4 senior Scotty Haralson had trouble finding his rhythm and finished with 11.

Stay tuned to HoopsReport.com for more updates from the Marshall County Hoopfest where top players Scotty Hopson, Joe Jackson, Brandon Jennings, Marcus Jordan (son  of Michael Jordan), DeAndre Liggons and others will showcase their talent on Saturday.