COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Carrying over the momentum from a big-time performance on Monday night, Thomas Worthington junior Joey Zalewski headlines this edition of stars of the night.
Doing all he could in a tough loss against St. Charles on Tuesday, Zalewski poured in 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a dominant showing.
After being the energizing force in Thomas Worthington's 17-0 run that helped them pick up a win over Wadworth on Monday night, the junior came out of the gates hot once again on Tuesday evening.
Nailing a pair of triples and converting inside often, Zalewski's 15 first half points helped Thomas Worthington go into the locker room ahead by five at the break.
While the Cardinals did not hang on to this lead, Zalewski continued to try and will his team in the second half, scoring six points in each of the final two quarters to finish with a game-high of 27 on the night.
At 6-foot-3, Zalewski is a talented small forward with a strong frame that allows him to bruise around inside, create easy scores and control the rebounding game.
He continues to show off his ability to shoot as well as the junior nailed shots from both beyond the arc and the mid-range on Monday before also nailing two three-pointers on Tuesday night.
Also an extremely talented football player, Zalewski is a well-rounded athlete who has the chance to continue to put up big numbers this season as he has waited his turn and is finally showing off his complete game.
While he enjoyed another big game on Tuesday, several other players in the area did as well, so let's take a look at them below.
Mike McCollum (6'3 SG / Olentangy Orange / 2023): Going for a career-high 26 points on Tuesday, it was McCollum who helped lead Olentangy Orange to an impressive non-league win over Linden-McKinley. Growing a few inches over the offseason, the junior guard has blossomed into a really nice player this year and complements Elias Lewis excellently in the Olentangy Orange backcourt. Impressing our staff every time we have watched him this season, McCollum offers a beautiful shooting stroke along with the ability to get inside and finish or create for others. We really like the way that McCollum operates at the guard spot and believe that he is going to turn into a great college player one day as his game continues to develop. To read more on his performance on Tuesday, click here.
KJ Jones (6'8 Traditional Big / International / 2024): Turning in a dominant four quarter performance on Tuesday, Jones scored 26 points of his own to lead International to a 62-47 win over a Madison Christian team that had no match up for the size of the sophomore. Doing all of his work inside, Jones took advantage of the size difference and converted on 13 two-point field goals in the contest. Standing at 6-foot-8 as a sophomore, Jones has a ton of potential as we also saw him turn in a 29 point performance against Whetstone as a freshman. We are excited to see how he performs moving forward as he is the type of player who could help International make some noise in the City League during his time there.
Clayton Rhyne (6'1 SG / Amanda-Clearcreek / 2023): Rhyne almost did something that I don't think I have ever seen before last night. In a 53-13 win over Shekinah Christian, the junior scored 25 points, coming just one point shy of doubling the team total for the Flames. I have seen players outscore opposing teams before, but have never seen a team's score doubled by an individual player. However, Rhyne practically did that. A talented shooting guard in the junior class, Rhyne has put up some big numbers this season as he also scored 34 in a win over Horizon Science and 28 in a win over Westfall. It has been several years since our staff has been out a game at Amanda-Clearcreek, but Rhyne's production this season certainly could change that.
Chase Walker (6'8 Traditional Big / St. Charles / 2023): Every time that our staff has watched Walker this season, it seems like he either scores, makes a good pass or gets fouled every time that he catches the ball in the post. That was certainly the case once again on Tuesday night as he led St. Charles with 24 points in an impressive win over Thomas Worthington. Scoring 10 of his points in the final quarter, Walker was dominant down the stretch in order to help the Cardinals come out on top. While Walker does most of his work with his back to the basket, he has also shown off his ability to stretch the floor recently as he continues to improve both in the mid-range and from behind the three-point line. The junior is one of the biggest matchup nightmares in the area and that has led to major success for him this season as he is averaging over 20 points a night based on the games we have box scores from.
MJ Book
Tag(s): Home Boys Leagues Central Catholic League St. Charles Columbus City League North International Linden Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Thomas Worthington Central Olentangy Orange Mid State League Buckeye Amanda Clearcreek Logan Elm Licking County League Utica KMAC Northmor Ohio Heritage Conference West Jefferson Others Logan Cardinal