Pleasure Ridge Park proved that they could hang with all of the big name teams at the Marshall Co. Hoopfest. Junior JuJuan Spillman (23 points, five assists), Jazz Neal (15 points) and Louisville bound big man Terrance Farley, Pleasure Ridge Park led the well-coached team.

Spillman had a phenomenal game and may have been the most underrated player at the event. He is lightning quick which allows him to get to the rack but his perimeter game is very solid and should be respected. Farley blocked eight shots and pulled seven rebounds. He’ll be a nice project for Rick Pitino and Co. Reggie Theus and Vince Taylor were there to support their future player.

For Centralia Matt Shaw (So. Illinois) played his normal power game and out muscled every player on the court for a 17 point, 10 rebound game. He abused the hardwood by diving for loose balls and taking charges. The Salukis will love Shaw for that very reason.

Jeremy Moss, a 6-foot-2 junior, can certainly play above the rim. Although some of his decision-making was questionable, he went off for 26 points and eight rebounds. His collegiate position is a bit unclear because of his size but with more time rounding out his game, he could become a very solid player out of Illinois.

Mason Co. showed why they are the defending Kentucky state champs by their barrage of three pointers against a talented Dudley (NC) team. The boys from the Bluegrass state connected on 11 long balls including four from Dustin Grutza (22 points) and three from Jarrod Litzinger (25 points), respectively. Chris Lofton is still fresh off the gridiron and gave a respectable 16 point, seven assist and five rebound performance.

Dudley may have lost to Mason Co. by the long ball but they got solid individual performances from Wake Forest bound junior Kevin Swinton who scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Junior guard Prince Bowden quietly scored 17 points and connected on three long balls. Sophomore Williams Graves didn’t have a great scoring night being held to nine points but dished out seven assists and pulled 11 rebounds.

Shaun Livingston came alive in the fourth quarter and helped Peoria come away with a big win against the No. 2 team in the country. The future Duke Blue Devil scored a game high 21 points. Livingston gets the majority of attention but backcourt mate Brandon Lee (20 points) shouldn’t be looked over any longer. Lee, who is signed with Northwestern, scored a majority of points on layups in traffic. He is a great pick up for the Big Ten program.

Mike Gerrity played a great game for Mater Dei and got to the basket with little resistance. The muscular point guard scored a team high 18 points and dished out seven assists in the loss. He’ll be a super West Coast guard in the 2005 class.

Chris Henry (Washington State) took advantage of Peoria’s lack of size inside and scored 16 interior points. Fab freshman Taylor King (UCLA) didn’t have his best shooting night (and quite frankly, couldn’t get a shot off thanks to Peoria’s defense) but he rebounded well and made some nice passes. He’ll be a good one folks.

Follow the link for our earlier story on the Oak Hill vs. Lanier game.