Ten Best: Bishop Montgomery vs. Mission Bay
Torrance, Ca. — Mission Bay’s long drive from San Diego to Torrance didn’t end how it would’ve liked.
The Bucs fell to Bishop Montgomery, 56-34, Friday night in the first round of the CIF State Open Division Southern Regional playoffs, ending their promising season that saw them win the CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship.
Bishop Montgomery’s defense proved to be too much, holding Mission Bay to 18 total points through the final three quarters.
Junior point guard Gianni Hunt led the Knights with 16 points, while David Singelton and Josh Vazquez added 12 apiece. Boogie Ellis, the San Diego Section Player of the Year, led Mission Bay with 15.
Ten Best
Best Prospect(s): David Singleton and Gianni Hunt, Bishop Montgomery; Boogie Ellis, Mission Bay
It’s tough to nail down just one top prospect in a game filled with so many good players, which is why we have three. Singleton, a 6-foot-4 wing headed to UCLA, is powerful and explosive when attacking the basket off the dribble. He can finish both through and over shot contesters in the paint. Hunt is one of the better point guard prospects in the state and he showed why. The 6-foot-3 guard is a two-way player who can make things happen on either side of the floor. Ellis is also one of the best guard prospects in the state. The 6-foot-3 junior scores in a variety of ways and makes extremely difficult shots look easy.
Lopez is one of the most improved players in So-Cal(Photo Credit: Nick Koza)
Best Scorer: Boogie Ellis, Mission Bay
The 6-3 junior didn’t have much help Friday night, scoring almost half of his team’s points against one of the best defensive teams in the state that was hell-bent on stopping him. Ellis is a three-level scorer who makes everything look smooth and easy. His go-to move is a mid-range pull-up jumper to either his left or right, in which he gets good lift and releases with great balance.
Best Passer: Josh Vazquez, Bishop Montgomery
Vazquez doesn’t get his fair share of accolades playing on a team with tons of good players. He’s not at all flashy and doesn’t draw the attention of camera people because he’s not an explosive athlete, but the junior simply understands the game of basketball. Vazquez can complete every pass in the book and does so with timing and placement.
Best Intangibles: Nick Schrader, Bishop Montgomery
Schrader started in this one for the Knights after providing plenty of hustle and energy off the bench this season. The 6-foot-4 wing has a hand in seemingly every possession. He dives on the floor to secure loose balls, slashes into the paint off the ball for easy layups and just plays with the toughness that embodies Bishop Montgomery.
Best Versatility: Fletcher Tynen, Bishop Montgomery
The Boston University-bound forward can legitimately play every position at the high school level. He can initiate offense as the primary ball handler, create for himself or others off the wing and can operate off of either block. Most importantly, Tynen has the basketball IQ to guard every spot on the floor.
Best Dunk: David Singleton, Bishop Montgomery
Singleton put an exclamation point on the Knights’ win with a freakish one-handed dunk off of a backdoor cut to open the second half. The senior posterized Mission Bay’s Ronnie Latting, known as one of the more physical paint presences in all of San Diego.
Best Defender: Jalen Washington, Bishop Montgomery
Washington is another guy who gets overlooked for the Knights and that’s mainly due to him being a more defensive oriented guy than he is a scorer. The 6-foot-2 senior did a spectacular job guarding Mission Bay’s Ellis when he was called upon, forcing the talented junior into countless tough shots.
Best Motor: Gianni Hunt, Bishop Montgomery
In a game of this caliber, there are plenty of guys who have a claim for this category, but the sustained energy and focus from Hunt in this one earned him the nod. Hunt came out of the gate pushing the pace and providing his team with energy and confidence.
Best Pick-and-Pop: Will Crawford, Bishop Montgomery
The 6-6 junior makes his living at the mid-range level and his adept at setting a baseline ball-screen and popping off of it for his patented 15-17 foot jump shot.
Best Improvements: Oscar Lopez, Bishop Montgomery; Jay Norton, Mission Bay
Lopez has always had a high basketball IQ and tons of talent, but since transferring to Bishop Montgomery, the 6-foot-4 junior has gotten into better shape and started thinking the game at a higher level to go along with his well-rounded floor game.
Norton’s improvements are more of the skill variety, especially when it comes to his shooting ability. Norton went from a non-threat as a 3-point shooter to a guy who can knock down an open catch-and-shoot triple or get into a mid-range pull-up.