Star-power showcase at Highland Optimist Shootout

By Ray Popkess

Having been a Highland resident for the majority of my life, I had mixed emotions attending the 34th Annual Highland Optimist Shootout sponsored by Apex Network Physical Therapy. It was my first time as an attendee and it sure did not disappoint.

Prior to Saturday’s action, I was regretfully thinking of all the shootouts that I hadn’t attended in year’s past, with names that are now associated with the highest level of basketball an individual can play. Names like Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal, Michael Porter, Jr., E.J. Liddell, Jordan Goodwin, Caleb Love, Ayo Dosunmu, etc.–all hoopers that you can see when you turn on your television, passed up by yours truly at an invitational hosted in my own backyard.

However, I was also delighted to be witnessing the future of basketball take place before my eyes, knowing that each new class of high school, college and potentially pro hoopers is somehow outperforming the last. Twelve of the nation’s top 250 players, according to 247Sports, were on the invitation list, inherently meaning that some of the best high school teams in the country were converging on a Midwest town, something the Highland community certainly isn’t new to. And as a Mizzou homer, it felt necessary to witness the Tigers’ and nation’s top 2026 prospect in Jason Crowe, Jr. from Inglewood High School (California) for the nightcap.

Game 1: Highland vs. Alton (Girls)

Each Highland Optimist Shootout begins with the host school taking on teams typically from within the Metro-East region. The Highland Lady Bulldogs came into their matchup against the Alton Lady Redbirds leading the Mississippi Valley Conference based on their league record.

Despite their 51-31 loss to the now 14-2 Alton squad, the Lady Bulldogs still lead the MVC by a single game with a 6-0 league record over Triad’s 5-1 midseason mark.

Game 2: Highland vs. Waltonville, IL

The 4-11 Bulldogs took on the 14-2 Spartans in the second game of the afternoon. If each teams’ record indicated the outcome of the game, you would be correct to assume the Spartans took home the victory. By a final of 61-49, Waltonville continues their dominant season and sits atop the Midland Trail conference.

Game 3: Chaminade Prep vs Logan-Rogersville, MO

Game three featured one of the top recruits in the country from Logan-Rogersville. Chase Branham is a 6’ 4” junior guard, ranked 33rd in his class, and is committed to play at the University of Indiana. Jonny Jordan, Jr. was the feature player from Chaminade. The 6’ 4” senior guard is committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Chaminade overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half to steal victory away from the undefeated Wildcats by a final score of 62-57. Chaminade’s Mohamed Kourouma stole the show, scoring 22 points and hauling in 13 rebounds to be voted the player of the game. Branham dropped 31 in the loss, and Jordan, Jr. had 13 points in the winning effort.

Game 4: Fishers, IN vs. Cardinal Ritter, MO

The Fishers Tigers featured a couple players in the top 175 according to 247Sports. Junior 6’ 2” guard Jason Gardner, Jr. is the #26 ranked player in the 2027 class with offers from Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Notre Dame and Texas. Junior 5’ 10” guard Cooper Zachary is #173 on the same list with offers from Bradley, Ball State, Penn, Nevada and Toledo.

Cardinal Ritter featured 6’8” junior forward Brock Bass-Bonner, who has an offer from Florida St.

The final score of this game was unfortunately not as close as anticipated. The Tigers claimed victory by a final of 61-37 and remained undefeated. A standout performance from Fishers’ Kai McGrew earned him player of the game honors, as he dropped 21 points featuring a couple assaults on the opponents’ rim.

Game 5: Warren Township vs. Vashon

With the 50th ranked recruit in the nation, Warren Township took on powerhouse Vashon in the fifth game of the day.

Jaxson Davis is the featured star for Warren, a 6’ 1” junior guard with offers from Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois and Arizona St. Vashon features a handful of Division I talent, starting with 6′ 2” junior guard Jimmy McKinney III. The 111th ranked recruit in the country has offers from SLU, SEMO, Mizzou, Iowa and Iowa St. 6’ 1” senior Kain McCaskill has an offer from Lindenwood, and 6’5” junior Leon Powell, Jr. has offers from SEMO and SIUE.

Warren was victorious in the second blowout of the afternoon session by a final of 82-61. Davis was the recipient of the player of the game, boasting 33 points while cashing in six three-balls.

Game 6: E. St. Louis vs. Principia 

Eastside was without their star player, Jamison White, after he was controversially ejected the night before in a game against Belleville West. White is a 6’ 8” senior ranked 249th in the nation and is committed to Penn State.

Principia is ranked as one of the top teams in the country, let alone the amount of star power on their roster. Their top recruit is Quentin Coleman, a 6’ 4” junior guard ranked 91st on 247Sports and is a Wake Forest commit. They also have a 6’ 8” beast of a forward in junior Sekou Cisse. The 131st ranked recruit has offers from SLU, Illinois and Arizona St. Gassim Toure and Kingston Money round out their stacked junior lineup, both receiving multiple D-I offers.

Principia handled their business, defeating the Flyers by a final of 88-54. Cisse led all scorers with 25 followed by Coleman’s 22. Alex Johnson and Phillip Jones each had 21 for the Flyers.

Game 7: Inglewood, CA vs. Webster Groves

The showcase game featured the 3rd nationally ranked recruit in Jason Crowe, Jr. for the Inglewood Sentinels, a team coached by his father, Jason Crowe, Sr. Their scoring options didn’t stop there, as 142nd ranked recruit in the 2027 class David Conerly was second in command, and has an offer from the University of Nevada.

Webster Groves featured another future Missouri Tiger in Scottie Adkinson, a 6’ 4” junior guard ranked 35th nationally.

Even with all the superstars on the court, the only person in the gym to have every fan on their feet was Webster Groves’ junior Jackson Tabash. The 6’ 3” combo guard hit eight (8) threes in the game, despite getting knocked out of the game in the second quarter due to injury. His re-entry into the game earned him a standing ovation, but his eighth and final three brought Webster within one point as the final buzzer sounded. Inglewood escaped with a 77-76 victory.

Crowe, Jr. finished with 28 points (he averages 40+) and Conerly added 18. Tabash’s 26 led the way for the Statesmen, with Adkinson adding 17 points of his own.

It’s safe to say that I look forward to attending next year’s shootout, and I implore any basketball fan reading this to make arrangements for the 35th annual Highland Optimist Shootout.