Final per Walter.

Per Walter:

 

Eli Wright finishes with 28 & 9.

 

North Laurel sophomore Peyton Broughton leads all scorers with 39.

I was getting several updates from this one. Sounded like Broughton took the game over in the second half and brought North Laurel back from a 13 point 2nd half deficit. Apollo did a good job of hitting its free throws late and overcoming Broughton's onslaught. Once again, i wasnt there but it sounded like Eli Wright had some really nice dunks. Im curious to see if Apollo can return home 2-0 on the road. They will face Madison Central tomorrow.

Really fun game to watch. Apollo jumped out to a double digit lead early with their outside shooting but North kept chipping away before finally taking the lead late in the third quarter. Apollo seemed to have an answer for every NL run though before finally pulling away down the stretch.

 

Peyton Broughton is good....really good! 39 points today and extremely efficient scoring both inside and out, as well as at the free throw line. He really took it to Wright when they were matched up and was either scoring or getting to the free throw line. A lot of fun to watch and definitely one of the top players in KY for 2017. Samford was in the building to watch him with Clemson there to watch Wright.

 

As for Wright, first time seeing him and he lived up to the hype. Ridiculously athletic and had a really nice dunk off a steal at the top of the key. He attacks the rim so hard but also showed a nice outside shot and is extremely active on the glass. I love the motor he plays with. If Apollo ran the same offense that NL does for Broughton, he probably drops 40 regularly. NL did a really good job face guarding and denying late in the game with their press. Like most special players, he found a way to get the ball in his hands and make an impact.

 

I was impressed with North Laurel and their 2-2-1 press. Very effective in their comeback effort. NL is going to be good for the next 3 or 4 years. Collier will be good to go in a week or two and they have a lot of young talent with 8th grader Sizemore, Sophomores Broughton/Asher, and Freshamn Bayley Rice...who had a nice block on Wright on a dunk attempt and played tough inside all night. At one point the above lineup was on the floor together and had success. Looking forward to seeing both teams again tomorrow.

Best description I've heard someone who scouted lots of games give for evaluating a player for a higher level: "he makes it look easy". IMO, that's what Wright does when you see him play, and he's going to be a kid capable of starting a couple of years at a D1 program.

Best description I've heard someone who scouted lots of games give for evaluating a player for a higher level: "he makes it look easy". IMO, that's what Wright does when you see him play, and he's going to be a kid capable of starting a couple of years at a D1 program.

 

He gets a lot of pub for the things he can do offensively but what most people don't realize is how good he is defensively, as well.

 

The dunk he had tonight was pretty sick, though. He threw it down with authority. I'll have the video up sometime tomorrow or Sunday.

He gets a lot of pub for the things he can do offensively but what most people don't realize is how good he is defensively, as well.

 

The dunk he had tonight was pretty sick, though. He threw it down with authority. I'll have the video up sometime tomorrow or Sunday.

 

Can't wait to see it.

Awesome report. For a west Ky fan who couldnt make the trip, that was a nice report to read. The Doss scrimmage really hurt my confidence in what to expect from Apollo but this was a nice win on the road to open the season. I wish i could make the trip up today to check out all of the talent. At Apollo, we know a lot about the Broughton's. Charlie played for Apollo in the late 90's and was one heck of a player. Ill be keeping an eye on Peyton from a distance. From what everyone told me that was there, this kid is a major player. As for Eli.......sky is the limit for him. He has all of the ability and skill to be great. His work ethic is also second to none. Former coach Sergeant was telling me that he calls him at all hours of the night nearly every day to go work him out at open gyms. He finds weakness in his game and works and works to fix it. He is going to be a special player.

I was getting several updates from this one. Sounded like Broughton took the game over in the second half and brought North Laurel back from a 13 point 2nd half deficit. Apollo did a good job of hitting its free throws late and overcoming Broughton's onslaught. Once again, i wasnt there but it sounded like Eli Wright had some really nice dunks. Im curious to see if Apollo can return home 2-0 on the road. They will face Madison Central tomorrow.

 

Where is the Madison Central/Apollo game tomorrow?

He gets a lot of pub for the things he can do offensively but what most people don't realize is how good he is defensively, as well.

 

The dunk he had tonight was pretty sick, though. He threw it down with authority. I'll have the video up sometime tomorrow or Sunday.

 

If his Defense was good and he was guarding Peyton how did Peyton score 39pts. IMO thats not really good defense

If his Defense was good and he was guarding Peyton how did Peyton score 39pts. IMO thats not really good defense

 

He didn't guard Broughton the entire game. Peyton was pretty much doing what he wanted so Apollo switched Wright to him which slowed him down some. Wright picked up a cheap foul 12 seconds in to the game (should've been called a jump ball after seeing the video) so they kept him off Broughton until the 4th quarter.

 

Wright and Broughton were matched up for the majority of the 4th quarter. Peyton drew two fouls on Wright and got to the free throw line but his other points were simply him hitting tough shots. Wright was all over him.

 

I would hold judgement unless you were there first hand to see it. Wright is extremely active on the glass which is rare for kids with his ability. Most simply coast through the game but he plays very hard.

 

Broughton is going to be a special player though. Kid flat out gets buckets. One of my favorite players for 2017. This might not sit well with NKY folks, but I'd take Broughton over Vonhandorf and I'm not sure it's that close.

A few months ago, I too stated (in another thread) that Broughton was better than VonHondorf. It didn't sit well with some of the N KY folks then.

 

As a 12th region guy, I have no reason to play favorites on this. I think Broughton is a little better from deep and probably a little better ball handler though neither are exceptional in that area. VonHondorf excels in the mid range game and is a little better defensively. The biggest difference is Broughton's body. At approximately 6'4", he has a good 3" + on VonHondorf and therein lies the key. That type size for a guard is significant.

 

As far as the match-up in this game, Wright is a stud. He has elite level athleticism, is very crafty and, though streaky, can stroke the three. However, he's not known as a great defender. That's where he needs the most work.

 

Some other N Laurel players were mentioned. How did Apollo's other players look?