Article Tag: glendale-falcons

Catching up with … Glendale Falcons (B)

Posted on January 12, 2018 by -

Catch up with … Glendale Falcons (B)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Monty Johal, Jordan Walton and the Glendale senior class has waited years for their turn to shine on the big stage at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions and on Thursday they hung tough with nationally ranked La Lumiere of Indiana.

Glendale was within shouting distance throughout the first half, trailing 20-15 at the end of the first quarter, 48-35 at the half and trailed by 20-plus throughout the second half.

However, the Falcons got several strong individual performances from a senior class that has done at lot at the high school level throughout their time at Glendale.

Johal, a 6’3 2018 shooting guard, recently became Springfield Public Schools’ all-time leading scorer, surpassing the previous total set by Doial Green-Beckham in a runaway win on Tuesday at Camdenton where he poured in 41 points. On Thursday he went for 27 points, five rebounds and three assists, but they didn’t come easy.

“They (La  Lumiere) are really physical, they play great defense and teams around here, you don’t have five Division I guys guarding you,” Johal said. “That is hard to play against — their length and width was just unbelievable.”

On Thursday, 2018 shooting guard Jaxon Davis poured in 20 points for Glendale and went 6 for 10 from 3-point range, while Walton, a 6’0 2018 guard, added 12 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists.

“It was definitely cool playing in front of all of these people,” Walton said. “Sitting and watching the game before and seeing all the people pour in continuously and realizing that I was about to go out and be a part of that … and then during warm-ups looking around and seeing all the people and all the faces, it was definitely cool — especially growing up watching this tournament for years.”

Glendale entered the game on a roll, having won eight straight games, including tournaments at Mexico and Greenwood, Ark. Now 9-3 overall this season, the Falcons have put up some big scoring games this season and become known for their outside shooting.

“We’ve talked about that a lot, outside of Ozark and maybe Webster Groves, we’re not going to see anybody at the caliber that is here right now,” McTague said. “If we can compete, even in small increments our guys are coming out of this game confident.

“They know we didn’t play as well as we can, but they also know who we just played against. They have high major kids and we are a bunch of 5’10, 150-pound kids. It wasn’t perfect, but we had some good spots here and there and gave ourselves a chance to hang around for a while. I wish we would have made more shots and got a couple more stops.”

La Lumiere had a significant size advantage in the paint, especially, where 6’9 2019 forward Isaiah Stewart went for 22 points and 16 rebounds.

“They were super physical and super long,” Walton said. “There were five Division I guys on the court at any given time, but I was kind of proud of us, we had a season-low in turnovers (7), but their physicality definitely began to wear on us though.

“That’s not something we will see again around here unless we make it to the Final Four. We definitely learned some lessons today.”

Glendale will face Wasatch Academy of Mount Pleasant, Utah, in the consolation round at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

“Playing in this tournament is an honor so taking any game for granted would be stupid,” Walton said. “We’re excited and we’ll think about this game for 15 minutes after the game and then we’re focused on the next one and take it one game at a time.”

ALL-TOURNAMENT: OZARK MOUNTAIN SHOOTOUT

Posted on December 10, 2017 by -

ALL-TOURNAMENT: OZARK MOUNTAIN SHOOTOUT 

SPRINGFIELD — Several local players put together strong performances at this year’s Ozark Mountain Shootout, a two-day event held at Glendale High School that featured several of the top teams and players from around the midwest.

Here, SWMOBasketball takes a look at some of the top performers from our area.

Quinn Nelson, 6’3, SG, 2018, Ozark (pictured)

Nelson might have had the single best individual quarter in the two-day event as he lit up the scoreboard in the third quarter against Blue Valley Northwest, knocking down four 3-pointers, including three straight, and finishing with 16 points in the frame. He is a knock down shooter who can put up points in a hurry.

Daniel Abreu, 6’5, F, 2020, Willard

Abreu put together a terrific individual performance in the Tigers’ 70-60 loss in the nightcap against Kirkwood. He is a skilled forward with some bounce in his game and does a lot of different things well. Definitely one of the better young interior players in the area.

Jake Branham, 6’2, PG, 2019, Catholic

Branham showed why is among the area’s premier guards on Saturday as he didn’t back down from a challenge against Confluence, a team with some terrific guards in its own right. He went for 23 and scored in all manners, and distributed the ball. He was 7 for 7 at the free throw line, knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and got to the basket.

Anton Brookshire, 6’0, PG, 2021, Kickapoo

One of the state’s better young guards, Brookshire had it all working on Friday despite a tough loss to Pacific as he scored 22 of his teams 36 points in a 50-36 defeat. Brookshire is a smooth ball handler who gets to the basket, can knock down the outside shot and runs a team like a seasoned vet.

Jaxon Davis, 5’11, G, 2018, Glendale

A year ago, Davis showed he was among the area’s premier outside shooters, and this year he has taken his game to another level, able to get to the basket off the bounce and take a tough charge under the basket. On Saturday, he knocked down five 3-pointers, drew fouls while shooting the 3, and took defenders to the basket for layups. He finished with 24 points for the Falcons and showed an all-around game.

Monty Johal, 6’3, SG, 2018, Glendale

One of the state’s premier offensive players, Johal put together a big first quarter, scoring nine quick points for Glendale and showed off some improved bounce around the basket, throwing down a two-handed dunk in transition. He remains one of the better mid-range players you’ll see, capable of creating space and knocking down mid-range shots with ease.

Trent McBride, 6’7, PF, 2019, Eminence

McBride had the day’s best individual performance as an undersized Clever team had no answer for the 6’7 forward. McBride opened the game with seven points and seven rebounds in the first half, then went for 25 and 13 in the second half and had it all working. He scored in the block, he shot the 3, he faced up in the high post and took defenders off the bounce. And he was all over the offensive glass. He’s one of the better young players in the area and will help lead the Red Wings to a big season.

Broc Smith, 6’4, G/F, 2019, Republic

Smith helped Republic cruise to a 60-24 win over Forsyth on Saturday, scoring 12 points and showing an all-around game. He has been big for Republic this season on the boards and in the post as well as showing the ability to step out and play on the perimeter where he displays a smooth outside shooting touch.

Kaleb Wofford, 6’2, G, 2021, Nixa

Wofford drew the attention of Confluence head coach  Brian Karvinen for his abilities and despite being the focal point of the team’s defense managed to put up a team-high 13 points, including three 3-pointers. Wofford has had a strong start to the season and has emerged as one of the area’s top freshman.