Ten Best: Friday at BattleZONE
Corona, Ca. — The BattleZONE tournament hosted by Corona Centennial high school featured a ton of SoCal’s top teams and players for a six-day, 16-team tournament. Here are the “Ten Best” performers from Friday’s action, including the semifinals between Chino…
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Continue ReadingCorona, Ca. — The BattleZONE tournament hosted by Corona Centennial high school featured a ton of SoCal’s top teams and players for a six-day, 16-team tournament.
Here are the “Ten Best” performers from Friday’s action, including the semifinals between Chino Hills and Rancho Christian and Corona Centennial and Rancho Verde.
Best Overall Performance: Onyeka Okongwu, Chino Hills
The 6-foot-9, USC-bound center scored 26 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked four shots in the Huskies’ 72-67 loss to No. 2-ranked Rancho Christian. “Big O” put up those numbers while facing double and triple teams in the paint all game long.
Best Scorer: Evan Mobley, Rancho Christian
The near 7-footer led all scorers in Friday’s five-point win over Chino Hills, finishing with 27 points. The younger of the two Mobley brothers, Evan showed off his offensive versatility by scoring in the paint, off of lob passes, on face-up looks and when stretching the floor to the 3-point line.
Best Passer: Yassine Gharram, Foothills Christian
The junior point guard dished out six assists in the Knights’ 77-58 win over Orange Lutheran. Gharram plays with good pace and is always surveying the court both in transition and half-court settings.
Best Shooter: Will Pluma, Chino Hills
The senior shooting guard took advantage of the double and triple teams sent to his teammate, Onyeka Okongwu. Pluma connected on four 3-pointers en route to 16 points and was a big reason why Chino Hills was able to stay within striking distance of Rancho Christian.
Corona Centennial wing Jaylen Clark led the Huskies with 23 points Friday in a 57-48 win over Rancho Verde.Most Versatile: DJ Carter-Hollinger, Foothills Christian and Jaylen Clark Corona Centennial
The Montana-bound forward does a little bit of everything for the Knights. He had 18 points and eight rebounds in a win over Orange Lutheran, but it is his ability to rebound the defensive glass, push the break and make good decisions that sets him apart. Carter-Hollinger can guard multiple positions and score from a variety of areas on the court.
Clark scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Huskies’ 57-48 win over Rancho Verde. Clark connected on three 3-pointers in addition to a handful of strong takes to the basket.
Best Rebounder: Isaiah Mobley, Rancho Christian
Seeing that Big O was named to the “Best Overall Performance” category, Isaiah Mobley’s 11 rebounds place him as one of the best board grabbers of the day. The 6-foot-10 USC-bound forward has a knack for finding the ball on both the offensive and defensive glass.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance: Jaren Nafarette, Foothills Christian
The 5-foot-7 point guard might be the most unassumingly good player in the Southland, but his game speaks for itself. The senior 12 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter as the Knights pulled away from Orange Lutheran.
Best Play of the Day: Evan Mobley‘s block of Okongwu
Mobley uses his vast wingspan and impeccable timing on his shot contests and blocks and that was never more evident than when he gloved (with his left hand, no less) a driving layup attempt by Okongwu.
Best Defensive Performance: Etiwanda
The Eagles are well-known for their team defensive prowess and showed why that is in holding a talented St. Bernard team to just 47 points. Etiwanda held Vikings’ senior point guard and team catalyst Amani Harris to just four points and sharpshooter Josh Himel to just one 3-pointer.
Best Team Balance: Rancho Christian
The Eagles had four players score in double figures in their win over Chino Hills. Evan Mobley had 27, Isaiah Mobley scored 15 and Luke Turner and Jordan Montgomery added 13 and 11 points each, respectively.