Prep Hoops 10 Best: Valor Christian vs. Green Mountain
Playing its second game game after a long layoff, Valor Christian started off cold Thursday night as the temperature outside hovered in the single digits. But once the Eagles got rolling in a 4A JeffCo League game at Green Mountain,…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingPlaying its second game game after a long layoff, Valor Christian started off cold Thursday night as the temperature outside hovered in the single digits. But once the Eagles got rolling in a 4A JeffCo League game at Green Mountain, there was no cooling them down.
Valor Christian trailed 16-15 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, then outscored the Rams 52-28 the rest of the way en route to a 68-43 victory.
“Green Mountain is a really good defensive team and they really work at it,” Valor Christian coach Troy Pachner said. “We didn’t have much tempo in the first half, but as soon as we were able to spread the floor in transition and started speeding them up a little bit — and defense is what sparks all of that — that’s when the whole game changed.”
There may not be a better 1-2 punch in 4A than Valor Christian seniors Jalen Sanders (6-5) and Kayle Knuckles (6-6), and the pair simply overwhelmed Green Mountain throughout the game.
MVP: Kayle Knuckles, Valor Christian
This could have gone to either Sanders or Knuckles, but we’ll give the nod to Knuckles. The 6-6 senior keeps getting better each time we see him play, an obvious sign of a player who is constantly working on is game. Within the first few possessions of the game, Knuckles had seven points and a block. His big night only blossomed from there. When Knuckles took his time in the post — where he showed an ability to finish with both hands — there was little Green Mountain could do to stop him. Knuckles finished with a game-high 23 points by our count.
Defensive Player of the Game: Jalen Sanders, Valor Christian
Sanders plays defense like a football safety, constantly surveying the entire landscape in front of him as he prepares to spring into action. The 6-5 senior blocked jump shots on the perimeter and sent layup attempts inside flying into the brick wall underneath the basket. When he wasn’t blocking shots, Sanders was stealing the ball and turning the takeaways into easy offense. One steal near the end of the first half resulted in his two-handed thunder dunk on the other end. It was a tour-de-force defensive performance.
Offensive Player of the Game: Knuckles
Sanders was certainly a worthy candidate for this honor as well, but we’ll give Knuckles the edge. He showed nice touch around the basket and created offensive off the glass. Perhaps most impressively, Knuckles was constantly running the floor. When a 6-6 forward with athleticism is beating guards down the floor time and time again, it can cause major problems for the defense. He was also excellent at the free-throw line.
Play of the Game
With Green Mountain trying to chip into a big Valor run in the second quarter, Knuckles kept it going with an acrobatic play. As the ball rolled on the ground underneath the basket, Knuckles scooped down and, under pressure from the Rams’ defense, flipped up an impressive left-handed hook shot that found its way in.
Best under-the-radar performance: Karsten Michael, Valor Christian
The 6-1 senior guard was key in helping the Eagles get out in transition once they started finding their form in the second quarter. He showed nice ability to finish on the break and also knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner on the way to seven points. He was strong on the defensive perimeter.
Best under-the-radar performance (Part II): Jake Haertl, Green Mountain
The 6-4 senior isn’t the kind of player who will blow by you, but he has a good feel for the game and can hit from the outside. He scored nine of his team-high 11 points in the first half to help Green Mountain stay within 30-22 at halftime.
Best bench performance: Keisan Crosby, Valor Christian
The Eagles rarely miss a beat when Crosby, a 5-10 senior, checks in for starting point guard Austin Remus. Crosby scored four points and kept the tempo clicking offensively. He’s a talented ball-handler who is a strong passer.
Best intangibles: Dylan Jacob, Green Mountain
At 6-3, the senior is undersized as a forward, but Jacob battles tough inside and works hard defensively. He scored eight points Thursday and had at least five rebounds.
The story going forward for Valor Christian
The Eagles look like an experienced team ready to make a run at a state championship. Valor plays high-IQ and unselfish basketball. One area of improvement the Eagles are seeking: getting off to quicker starts. If Valor plays all four quarters the way it did the last two-and-half quarters Thursday, they’ll be tough to beat every night.
The story going forward for Green Mountain
The Rams are a scrappy team that really battles defensively. They kept in the game early by knocking down a number of outside shots in the first half. The question for Green Mountain is which player is going to step-up to be the go-to player.