Wood Elite Showdown Recap (Part 1)

Cherokee, GA – Wood Elite hosted their inaugural Wood Elite Showdown featuring some solid high school basketball match-ups on Saturday, January 6th. Several prominent prospects were featured and some new prospects came to rise throughout the day. Two recaps will be split between the first 2 games and the last 2 games of the day that will go in depth on primary prospects for each team and overall team features.

By: Jennifer Brazelton

 

Horizon Christian Academy 82 – Notre Dame Academy 34

Horizon Christian Academy started the game on a 20-6 run and never looked back. Evan Holcombe (#25) and Jacob Salvador (#21) combined for 35 points, outscoring their opponent. Evan Holcombe led all scorers with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the game; continuously attacking inside and finding his way to the foul line on multiple occasions. Jacob Salvador led the scoring efforts going into half-time and finished the game with 17 points on an impressive 5 3-pointers from outside; a confident and quick release led to multiple baskets. Canon Ross and Landon Salvador contributed 14 points each as well in the win. For Notre Dame Academy it was Hiram Balthazar (#5) leading the way with 15. Balthazar really got going in the second half scoring 14 of his points and filled up the stat sheet in a bunch of different areas including some impressive blocks. Dallas Williams also stood out for Notre Dame Academy.

 

South Paulding 72 – Kennesaw Mountain 57

Kennesaw Mountain came out on fire against South Paulding, but once South Paulding got going in the second quarter behind the likes of Andrew Lavigne (#2) and David Williams, they became a tough duo to beat. Andrew Lavigne put up an impressive performance, going for 30 points. Lavigne was knocking down shots from just about every where on the court; from the mid-range to the 3-point line. Lavigne is an incredibly confident player that should be on local coaches radar with his high IQ and overall understanding of the game. David Williams added in 17 points for South Paulding and was defiant inside, scoring several of his points at the line. Williams quick player that makes opponents pay in transition. For Kennesaw Mountain, it was Isaiah Johnson and Pierre Lindic who stood out, combining for 23 points.

 

After serving on college coaching staffs and working at several universities in the Southeast, Jennifer Brazelton joined On the Radar Hoops as a National Evaluator in April 2022. She has been involved in the Georgia basketball community since 2015 and can be reached at JenniferRBrazelton@gmail.com or on Twitter @jenbrazeIton.