Here are this week's candidates for the Antonio's Pizza Prime Time Performer. You can vote once every 12 hours until the polls close on Friday at 5pm. The winner will receive a $20 gift card to Antonio's Pizza!
Cole Greer (Pleasant Plains Guard) Watching Greer run the Pleasant Plains offense has been a thing of beauty this season. There aren’t many defenders that can stay in front of him and he simply does not turn the ball over. In both of their games this week, he had zero turnovers. Greer sealed the game at the free throw line on Saturday after he got into his opponent’s head and forced a technical. Greer led Plains in scoring with 18 points, grabbed five boards, dished out six assists and had three steals against a tough West Central squad. Against Rochester on Tuesday? He had eight points, eight boards and six assists. Greer is a stat sheet stuffer.
Ali Pankey (Pleasant Plains Guard) The Cardinals are a relatively balanced offensive team but when Pankey left the game with foul trouble, it was noticeable in their contest Saturday against 1A defending state champion Central A&M. Pankey came back into the game and immediately asserted herself and down by two with under twenty seconds to play, her team got her the ball and she drew a foul. With the clock reading 9.4, Pankey stepped up and hit two free throws to hand the Raiders their first loss of the season. She finished with a team high 17 points in a win that gives the Cardinals a lot of confidence as the postseason approaches.
Matt Watson (Williamsville Guard) The Bullets senior play-caller stepped up in a big way on Friday for a huge non-conference win for the Purple and Gold. Watson poured in 29 points including a couple key buckets in the overtime period that sealed the deal for Williamsville against Quest Charter. His tall teammate Harrison Creswell can draw double teams inside but if Watson is rolling, watch out for the Bullets who have a dynamic combo between the two.
Ryan Hembrough (Glenwood Forward) The Titans have plenty of guys who can do a lot of things on the hardwood and that’s why Todd Blakeman’s bunch is still in the Central State Eight race. If guys like Hembrough can step up and score like he did on Friday night at MacArthur, then the Titans are going to be tough for the next month or so. Hembrough led the team with 17 points against the Generals in a huge revenge win on the road.
Xavier Bishop (Lanphier Guard) At this point, we’re looking for excuses to keep him off the Prime Time Performer list, but we simply can’t. In his last three games, he’s averaging 40 points. He hit that average exactly on Friday against Eisenhower and the Lions needed every single one of them in an overtime victory over the Panthers. The best part is…Bishop hit a game tying three-pointer with less than five seconds to play to send the game into overtime. Bishop went 16 for 17 from the free throw line and also played most of the fourth quarter and the overtime period with four fouls. Enjoy watching him now, because this kid is really something special.
D’Angelo Hughes (Southeast Guard) D’lo scored nine points in the first quarter to get the Spartans out to a fast start against Rochester and avoid any upset bid the Rockets had in mind. At the half, Rochester had 16 points and D’lo had 16 points…this guy can straight get buckets as his teammate Trevyon Williams would say. Hughes finished with a game high 23 points to keep the Spartans at the top of the Central State Eight.
Meagan McNicholas (Rochester Guard) McNicholas joined the ranks of the 1000 point scorers two weeks ago and then added nine to that total this week in a huge road win for the Rockets in Chatham. Angela Perry is the focal point of the Rochester offense, but McNicholas is the engine of this train that running out front of the Central State Eight standings all by themselves.
Ashley Robinson (Springfield Guard) Check the box score for the Senators in their City Championship win over SHG. Not only did the Senators hold the Cyclones to just five points in the fourth quarter, but they also poured in 19 to complete an improbable comeback. Robinson was a key piece in that puzzle that head coach Brad Scheffler threw together in the second half. The sophomore scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter to fuel the Solons their third straight City title.
Gage Hamill (Springfield Swimmer) Not only are the Senators City girls basketball champs, but the Solon swim team took the Boys City title on Tuesday. A big reason why was junior Gage Hamill who broke the school’s 100 yard butterfly record (Sorry Jake). Hamill wasn’t done there though, he won another event to help Springfield win their second straight swim title.
Glenwood Wrestling Team – It’s hard to chose just one or two guys from this Titan team that has been absolutely dominant for the entire Central State Eight season and even beyond. For the second straight season, Glenwood owns the CS8 wrestling title thanks for a dominant performance against Springfield High to seal the deal. JD Turner, Hunter Crumly and Connor Hutchison all picked up pins against the Senators in the team dual but the whole team showed out for Jeremy Mosier’s mat men.
Peyton Hudspeth (Auburn Wrestler) The junior grappler for the Trojans has only suffered three defeats all season and none of them came this weekend at the Litchfield Invitational. Hudspeth returned home with a 195 title championship and has his season total up to 36 wins. He’s ranked seventh in the state right now and seems more than ready for regionals to start this weekend in Shelbyville.
