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Amanda-Clearcreek 75, Circleville 65 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Jake Spegal, 01/14/19, 10:30PM EST

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Amanda-Clearcreek's trio of Riffle, Smith and Miller help them hold off Riley Gibson and Circleville

AMANDA, Ohio -- In one of two MSL-Buckeye league games on Monday night, Amanda-Clearcreek (9-4) won their second game in a row, taking down Circleville (4-9) 75-65.

After a first quarter that found both teams failing to knock down open shots, the Aces led 10-9 going into the second frame. Senior Darcell Pickett was a force for the Tigers in the quarter, however, scoring all nine of their points.

The second quarter was being played fairly even to start, but the Aces backcourt tandem of senior Will Riffle and junior Jayse Miller woke up shortly thereafter.

With Circleville trailing by just three points midway through the quarter, Miller found Riffle open for a bucket three straight times, helping them take a 33-25 lead into the half. Riffle owned the first half, going for 13 points.

Circleville opened up the third quarter on a quick 5-0 run, but two buckets from Miller would halt any hopes the Tigers had of a comeback in the frame. He ended up with a big six point quarter for the Aces, pushing their lead to 10 points heading into the final quarter of play.

Circleville persistently chipped away in the fourth quarter, yet never cut the Aces lead to any less than eight points. Amanda-Clearcreek knocked down their free throws in the final minutes to secure a league win for the home crowd.

Sophomore Riley Gibson led the way for Circleville with 25 points. Riley is one of the area’s breakout players this season and puts on a show in the MSL every night, regardless of outcome. Look for the sophomore to put huge numbers the rest of the way this season.

Senior Jay Styers also chipped in with 13 points for Circleville. They will hit the road tomorrow for a matchup with McClain.

Riffle led the way for Amanda-Clearcreek with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Alex Smith also had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and junior Jeffrey Bolin chipped in with 15 points. Miller absolutely filled up the stat sheet, finishing with 10 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

The Aces move to 9-4 with the win and will be back in action on Wednesday as they host Northridge.


Will Riffle (6’2 CG / Amanda-Clearcreek / 2019): Though he is also a standout on the gridiron, Riffle showed us that he’s the real deal on the hardwood on Monday night. Finishing with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds, the senior put on a good display of all the tools that he possesses tonight. He only stands at 6-foot-2 and plays the guard spot, but Will was involved inside the paint all night tonight. He’s an active, high energy player that uses these tools to get involved on the glass despite lacking size. He also displays great end-to-end speed, a tool that the senior uses to his advantage on the football field as well. He scored tonight off the dribble and also by knocking down several mid-range shots, a clear representation of his smooth jump shot and confidence that he has in it. Riffle does a good job of handling the ball for the Aces when needed to as well, as he and Miller seem to split time as the lead guard. On defense, he comes off as an extremely active defender who is not afraid to play tight on the ball. He did a good job of defending Riley Gibson when asked to tonight by using his quick feet to help him. The senior is an under-the-radar player all of the way out in Amanda and would a solid get for any D-III team in need of a reliable guard.

Jayse Miller (6’1 CG / Amanda-Clearcreek / 2020): Miller did not exactly fill up the box by scoring tonight, but definitely was one of the best players on the floor. Finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, the junior finished just one assist short of a double-double. What we were most impressed with in Jayse’s game tonight was the junior’s extremely high basketball IQ and leadership on the court. The true definition of an on-court coach, Miller does a great job of communicating with teammates on both sides of the ball, especially defense. On offense, he poses as a good lead ball handler who can also fit the role of a wing. He is a reliable ball handler with a smooth perimeter stroke. He knocked down one three-pointer in the contest and also scored with two soft touch floaters in the lane. Miller has exceptional court vision as well, which is something that does not surprise us given his IQ. He can also be disruptive defending on the ball, and does a great job of manning the defense when defending off-ball. As his career progresses, the junior will be sure to garner some D-III attention and possibly could be a target for D-II programs with development.

Riley Gibson (6’0 G / Circleville / 2021): To put it as simple as possible, Gibson is easily one of the MSL’s best players this season as a sophomore. Riley absolutely had his way tonight, finishing with a game high of 25 points. He did by knocking down two three-pointers and continuously finding his way in the lane. The sophomore has an extremely smooth stroke and does not need much space in order to get his shot off. He does a great job of using his elite shooting to his advantage by fooling defenders with a plethora of shot fakes and hesitation moves. He has the ball on a string at all times and uses a very big, quick crossover as one of his go to moves to blow by defenders. He plays great off of the ball as well, as he is consistently sprinting through screens and never getting lazy on the offensive end. He shows a great ability to score with and without the ball, and will dominate in the MSL-Buckeye over the next two and a half seasons. The sophomore is just embarking on a great career for Circleville as he can score as well as anyone in Pickaway County.

Alex Smith (6’6 PF / Amanda-Clearcreek / 2019): Smith had a distinct height advantage over every player on the Circleville roster tonight and used it to his advantage, finishing with a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. The senior has great size standing at 6-foot-6 (or bigger) and displaying a very wide, strong frame. He does a great job of securing position in the post on offense and has good patience when receiving the ball down low. He was double teamed on the catch by Circleville on several occasions tonight, but did a good job of taking care of the ball and finding a teammate rather than turning it over. On other occasions, the Smith would simply catch, give one or two quick dribbles and then make his move. He displayed a soft touch hook shot with either hand, a trait that is useful for any post player at this level. He also uses a strong power dribble to create space and finish inside. On the glass, he does a great job of using his body to clear out defenders and pull down rebounds. He creates rebounding opportunities for the rest of Amanda’s roster by moving bodies out of the lane. The senior would be a steal for any D-III or NAIA program in need of some size.

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