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Beechcroft 66, Mifflin 55 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Nathan Perkey, 01/15/19, 11:00PM EST

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Na'elle Simmons dominated to lead Beechcroft over Mifflin

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Mifflin Punchers traveled to Beechcroft on Tuesday in a City League North matchup. Despite Mifflin keeping the game close into the fourth quarter, Beechcroft pulled away in the final few minutes of a 66-55 win. 

The Cougars were led by senior Na’elle Simmons, who had a game-high 19 points in his team’s ninth win of the season.

Beechcroft  jumped out to an early 15-10 lead in the first quarter. Mifflin played a very sloppy opening period, turning the ball over numerous times with many of those turnovers leading to Beechcroft buckets.

Mifflin started to take better care of the ball midway through the second quarter. Led by junior wing Mikal King, Mifflin outscored Beechcroft 21-17 in the second quarter to head into halftime facing a 32-31 deficit.

Beechcroft bounced back to start the third quarter as Simmons continued to make big-time plays, helping the Cougars go into the fourth quarter with an 52-42 lead.

Mifflin made a late game surge in the middle of the fourth quarter that cut Beechcroft’s lead down to five, however the Cougars were too much for the Punchers in the end.

Simmons led the way with 19 points, while fellow seniors Elijah Hairston (16 points) and Jordan Hall (11 points) each finished in double figures. Continuing what has been a stellar freshman season, Jaylen Simmons added nine points for Beechcroft.

The Cougars have a highly important matchup at home on Friday against Centennial, who surged back in the race for a City North title with a 69-63 upset win over Northland on Tuesday. Falling to Centennial the first time around, Beechcroft will need to win in order to remain in sole possession of first place in the division. 

For Mifflin, King was the only player in double figures, finishing with 17 points. The junior wing continued what has been a breakout year, as he was aided by senior Ayub Mohamed, who added nine points.

Following the loss, the Punchers will look to bounce back at home on Friday against East.


Na’elle Simmons (6’7 PF / Beechcroft / 2019): The Cougars’ super senior was unstoppable in Tuesday night’s game verus Mifflin. Simmons showed why he is considered one of the best bigs in the City, as he finished with a game-high 19 points, including his fair share of highlight reel plays. Simmons powered home two big dunks, swatted three shots and had numerous three-point plays scoring through contact. Despite standing at 6-foot-7, Simmons moves very well on his feet, making him very difficult for opponents to match up with. Simmons does almost all of his damage around the basket, as he lacks a consistent mid range game and is not much of a shooter from distance. The power forward currently holds one Division II offer from Central State and with continued performances like what we saw on Tuesday, that list could multiply. The key for Simmons has always been consistency, as he appears to be turning that corner, consistently turning in double-double performances.

Mikal King (6’4 WF / Mifflin / 2020): The 6-foot-4 junior who moved to Columbus from Minnesota this summer is beginning to make a name for himself in the City League North Division. King scored from all over the floor on Tuesday, scoring a season high 17 points in the loss. King is used as more of a post player in Mifflin’s offense, however he is at his best when he is shooting the three ball. Look for King to continue to improve throughout the course of the next two seasons and become one of the conference’s top scorers next year. King is a welcomed addition to a Mifflin program that has lacked size and athleticism on the wing for the last few years. 

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