Through his first four games of the boys’ basketball season, Logan Essy, ADM’s top returning scorer from a season ago, had been struggling.

But as the Tigers’ point guard and leader, head coach Aaron Mager said late last week that he felt Essy was on the brink of a breakout scoring performance… and was he ever right.

Essy must be drawn to the bright lights and the big stage, given that the senior poured in 26 points inside Wells Fargo Arena Saturday evening to at least keep his team within striking distance of the Creston Panthers.

Coach Mager says he was proud of how his senior bounced back from his early-season struggles, and he acknowledges he’ll need more of the same from Essy moving forward.

“I told him–I said, ‘apparently you’re a big arena player’, so if college coaches are making note, then they need to realize they’re going to have him in a big arena every night.  So, overall I thought he did play well… he got to the line which is always huge for him.  (He) hit some threes, and did look smoother.”

Mager says Essy’s ability to finish around the rim even with contact was better than it had been in the Tigers’ first four ball games.  Mager also feels Essy still isn’t receiving the foul calls that he should be getting as it pertains to the new “offensive freedom of movement” officiating regulations.

After Saturday’s scoring outburst, Essy now leads the Tigers in scoring through five games, averaging 12.2 points per contest.