Prep Hoops 10 Best: Arapahoe vs. Grandview
After beating Mullen in a close matchup Wednesday night, Arapahoe hosted Grandview on Friday night. Undefeated entering the game, Grandview was without their top scorer LeChaun Duhart (21 points per game), who’s out indefinitely with a concussion. Arapahoe led at the…
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Continue ReadingAfter beating Mullen in a close matchup Wednesday night, Arapahoe hosted Grandview on Friday night. Undefeated entering the game, Grandview was without their top scorer LeChaun Duhart (21 points per game), who’s out indefinitely with a concussion. Arapahoe led at the half 30-22, Grandview’s full court pressure kept the Wolves close. Each time the senior led Arapahoe team held the lead, and eventually put Grandview away for a 55-51 victory. Below are the ten best from the game.
MVP: Will Otten, Arapahoe
The 6-2 senior stepped up in the fourth quarter and Otten scored 10 of his 15 points to help hold off Grandview. Otten shot 5-10 from the field and 3-4 on the free throw line in the game. He showed aggressiveness on the glass as well, tying for the team high with six rebounds.
Offensive MVP: Gage Prim, Grandview
Gage Prim had a strong game offensively with 25 points on 10-19 shooting. He dominated the offensive glass with double digit offensive rebounds and showed off his ability to pass with 4 assists. The Wolves 6-8 senior showed patience in the post and passed out of double teams effectively.
Defensive MVP: Kyle Lukasiewicz, Arapahoe
At 6-4 his size and quickness allowed him to guard a variety of positions. With the absence of Duhart, Lukasiewicz focused his efforts on keeping junior Ben Boone from going off, holding him below his season average. The Arapahoe team played hard nosed, disciplined man to man defense all night, which made it hard to pick just one player. Their senior captains (Lukasiewicz, Cheney, Otten) lead the way by communicating and playing selflessly on the defensive end.
Play of the game
Grandview went on a 6-0 run with less than two minutes left to cut the Arapahoe lead to one point. Lukasiewicz caught the inbound pass; beat his man who was defending him full court. When the defense came over to play help side he kicked it to Otten who sunk the three from the corner. The entire play from the inbound took five seconds and showed a lot the trust Arapahoe has in each other considering it was a one point game.
Best Underclassman: Dayne Prim, Grandview
Prim, a sophomore, was especially effective on the defensive end. At 6-3 he used his athleticism to create three steals one leading to a dunk in the second half.
Quote of the game:
“Our coaches have been stressing to play as hard as possible on both ends of the floor. Last year we lost some close games. We know we’re talented enough to win these close games and went out and did it Friday night.” — Brad Jansen, Araphoe head coach.
Best Intangibles: Kyle Lukasiewicz, Arapahoe
Lukasiewicz was the floor general his team needed to upset the number one ranked team in the state. He showed poise in breaking Grandviews press, and made the right play in trusting his teammates throughout the game. Lukasiewicz does a great job of running the dribble drive, attacking the paint and creating open looks for his teammates.
Best Under the Radar Performance: Josh Chaney, Arapahoe
Chaney was the next man up to try to slow down Gage Prim after Jared Johnson went out with two fouls in the first half. Chaney battled on the glass pulling down six rebounds and made two clutch free throws in the final minute of the game.
The story going forward for Arapahoe: Will the confidence from this game carry over?
Arapahoe (7-4) showed poise and toughness throughout their victory over Grandview. They play disciplined man to man defense and are scrappy rebounders despite their tallest player being 6-5 Jared Johnson. They face Eaglecrest next week and we will see if their confidence coming off of beating Grandview translates to more wins in close games.
The story going forward for Grandview: Who is going to step up to score in Duhart’s absence?
With games coming up against Cherokee Trail and Eaglecrest next week, Grandview (10-1) will have to move past their first defeat. Outside of Prim the Wolves shot 9-34 from the field. With Duhart out indefinitely (concussion), Grandview will need more offensive contributions from juniors like Jordan Knapke and Ben Boone moving forward.