CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio -- Harvest Prep was overly dominant in their win over MSL-Cardinal rival Wellington on Saturday night.

However, that was not the case early on in the game.

Wellington came out fearless and were leading 16-14 at the end of the first quarter. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there as Harvest Prep implemented a full court press that Wellington simply did not have the ball handlers to matchup against and Harvest Prep led 42-22 at halftime. After a plethora of turnovers forced by Prep’s sensational backcourt duo of junior CJ Anthony and senior Brandon Beavers, it did not get much prettier from there as Harvest Prep powered their way to an easy victory, 81-52. 

Prep was led by Anthony along with a career night from senior big man Elijah Glenn, who feasted in a huge matchup against Wellington’s junior forward Elijah Meredith. The big man Glenn's 20 point- performance featured a strong showing down low finishing at the rim, expanding his range out to the 3-point line, a no look pass out of the high post to an open cutter, and a euro step through the teeth of a Wellington defense which showcased fantastic agility for a player of his size. 

Wellington’s Meredith held his own as well on the offensive end, retaliating with 16 points. Scoring efficiently at the rim and flashing the ability to put the ball on the floor, even initiating the Wellington offense in the fourth quarter.

The Jaguars also received solid performances from sophomore guard Marcus Stewart, who knocked down several tough jumpers scoring 12 points. Also in double figures was senior guard and four-year starter Dallas Patrick, who chipped in 10, playing with tremendous balance and pace off the dribble thriving on mid range jumpers. 

CJ Anthony (6’0 PG/ Harvest Prep / 2020): I was absolutely blown away by CJ Anthony on Saturday night. His production was impressive, but there were so many aspects of Anthony’s game that went well beyond another 20+ point outing. First, was the way Anthony scored his points. He was not overly ball dominant as many of his points were from defense to offense transitions. He also was able to knock down a three off movement along with knocking them down off spot ups. Anthony was still able to flash his ability to score in higher usage offensive action as well. He was able to attack off the dribble and finish strongly at the rim with ambidexterity. When Anthony attacks offensive off the dribble he is lethal as a passer combining passing vision with lightning quick decision making. 
Similar to his teammate Beavers, Anthony had a handful of steals in this game courtesy of a deadly full court press. However, a few of those steals came from his anticipation ability in the halfcourt. He is a highly intelligent defender as well that is always in the right spot. He drew a couple charges in the game and also made a fantastic rotation into the weak side corner on a spot up shooter that you usually see collegiate defenders miss, so seeing a junior in high school make it is very exciting. 
Anthony was five steps ahead of everyone on the floor tonight. He was able to score both on and off the ball which will add big time value to his collegiate appeal if this continues. As a prospect with two low-major Division I offers, many Division I schools are starting to trend toward larger ball handlers. Anthony is able to play that off the ball role as he can create seperation with his off ball movement (an incredibly hard skill to master). He has a solid first step, tremendous burst that will allow him to attack in the lane off spot ups or off ball movement, and the quick decision making on the move to still add value as a passer in a low usage role. He can also play a more ball dominant role where he could thrive in an uptempo system as a transition ball handler. Bottom line, coaches want smart players and smart basketball players always succeed and Anthony is as intelligent as they come. 

Brandon Beavers (6’2 G / Harvest Prep / 2019): Tonight Beavers took a backseat as well, but still had a strong showing on both ends off the floor. He plays with tremendous pace and is able to knife his way into the lane in spacious situations offensively. The name of Beavers’ game tonight was thriving in the ball screen game which should continue to be one of his more translatable aspects as he makes a transition into the collegiate game. He can score at the rim off screens and showcased some tremendous passing vision where he is able to find open spot up shooters once he gets into the lane. 
Defensively, Beavers was an absolute pest on the ball in every possible way. He showed off some active hands coming up with a few on ball steals that lead to easy transition opportunities. If Beavers can follow up on this fantastic performance and continue to add two way value, he should add to the one NAIA offer that he currently holds from in-state Shawnee State. Beavers should be viewed as a priority for NAIA and Division III programs moving forward, as he also features an excellent academic profile.

Soul Hines (6’4 WG / Harvest Prep / 2019): The unsigned senior was relatively quiet scoring the basketball in this game. However, I think his offensive and defensive value were both displayed on the court tonight. Offensively, Hines has a relatively unorthodox jumpshot that is behind his head, but that high release combined with the elevation on his jumpshot makes it incredibly hard to contest. Combine that with his fluidity as a ball handler and his soft shooting touch and you see Hines’ translatability in the future at the college level. He could be deadly curling off screens and getting to his sweet spots from mid range attacking closeouts with one to two dribble pull ups. 
Defensively, Hines’ length and athletic ability make him very useful. He could be used as a point of attack on-ball defender that could really irritate smaller guards or wings on the ball. Coaches that want to implement a zone could also find value in Hines with a long wingspan at the top of a 2-3 or 1-3-1.