Friday 6A Action: Most Intriguing Prospects

<p>League play has started and on Friday night we had the opportunity to hit a couple of 6A games on the West Side. We first visited Century as they ran their Pacific League record to 2-0 with a win over McMinnvile and we then went east on Canyon Road to hit Beaverton HS and a classic Metro League battle as the Beavers gave Sunset a good fight before bowing to the Apollos, 52-49.</p> <p>Here's a look at both games and the most intriguing players we saw in each.</p> <p><strong>Century 64, McMinnville 55</strong></p> <p>Century utilized some hot shooting from to build an early margin and then withstood some pressure from McMinnville in the second half to come away with a 64-55 victory. The Jaguars were simply sizzling from three-point range in the first half, hitting 5-for-6 from three-point range and led 30-23 at the half and 48-32 after three quarters.</p> <p>The tide changed a little in the fourth as the Grizzlies fought back in the fourth behind some inspired play by <strong>Parker Spence</strong>. But McMinnville could never get closer than eight points as Century responded with key buckets and free throws for the final margin. Four Jaguars finished in double figures led by junior guard <strong>Jospin Mugisha</strong> with 18 points. Spence led McMinnville with 21 points.</p> <p>"I was proud of our kids," said Century head coach Scott Kellar. "A month ago we probably wouldn't have handled that kind of pressure that well but we didn't get flustered and we stayed the course. It was a great effort from all of our perimeter guys and they hung in there all the way through."</p> <p><strong>Sunset 52, Beaverton 49</strong></p> <p>In a classic Metro League battle in front of a raucous crowd at Beaverton High School, Sunset made all the key plays down the stretch to come away with a big three-point win. The game started off sluggish for both teams offensively in the first half, but the pace picked up in the second. The Apollos were largely in control but when Beavers junior <strong>Bennett Giebels</strong> hit a three with a little over a minute left in the game, Beaverton tied things up at 49.</p> <p>But Sunset responded with two key free throws from junior guard <strong>Reece Arenz</strong> and made a furious defensive stand against Beaverton on the other end to secure the win - their second in a row without star guard <strong>Braeden Sato</strong> who is out due to a sprained ankle. <strong>Colby King</strong> led Sunset with 16 points, including the final free throw for the Apollos, and <strong>Will Reese</strong> added 14. Giebels led Beaverton with 15 points.</p> <p>"Our kids are just so tough and they are developing a lot of perseverence," "We've been under the weather, banged up, and we just kept coming at them. They did a great job in this hostile enrivonment in just staying in the moment. In the Metro League against great coaches, you've got to be solid and they were solid - they got it done."</p> <p>Most Intriguing Prospects on Friday night include:</p> <p><strong>Jospin Mugisha (2020 Century)</strong> - The junior 6-foot guard didn't play last year or during the summer while recovering from an ACL tear. He's still getting up to full speed but what we saw was impressive. Mugisha is athletic and can create off the dribble, but on Friday night he was lights out from long range. In scoring his 18 points, he hit 5-for-7 from three-point range and his stroke is compact with a quick release. We caught up with Mugisha after the game and will have an update posted soon.</p> <p><strong>Edy Essien (2021 Century)</strong> - Like teammate Mugisha, the 5-foot-10 sophomore excelled from distance. In scoring 17 points, Essien nailed 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and he too had a smooth stroke with a quick release. Essien handled the ball a little more against pressure and on another team would likely be playing the point, but still managed to dish out a couple of assists.</p> <p><strong>Ikin Chan (2020 Century)</strong> - Chan was extremely key the entire game for Century as the 5-foot-8 point guard capably handled McMinnville's pressure without having issues with turnovers. A gym rat, the junior consistently made the right play, finding teammates for open looks on the perimeter (six assists) while also taking the opportunities to score himself (14 points).</p> <p><strong>Parker Spence (2019 McMinnville)</strong> - Spencer started off slow but really started to take charge in the second half both offensively and getting aggressive in McMinnville's defensive pressure. His shot was not on (6-for-19 overall, 2-for-9 from three-point range) but he continually put pressure on Century by taking it strong to the basket, drawing fouls (7-for-11 from the line) and fighting for offensive rebounds.</p> <p><strong>Luke Arzner (2019 McMinnville)</strong> - Arzner is a tremendous athlete, pure and simple - his offensive putback of a missed shot with a two-handed slam in the lane was evidence of that in the second half. He also rises up very high on his jump shot before the release which makes his shot difficult to defend. So while His shot was off (5-for-17 overall, 1-for-6 for three) and he only recorded one assist, Arzner's athleticism is very intriguing for sure.</p> <p><strong>Colby King (2020 Sunset)</strong> - With Sato out of action, other players have needed to step up and King was the man against Beaverton. The 6-foot-4 junior was aggressive creating opportunities off the dribble and was hard to handle in the paint. King was also very tough on the glass, especially on the defensive end, where he battled to grab the Apollos final rebound after they stopped Beaverton's last attempt to tie the game.</p> <p><strong>Will Reese (2019 Sunset)</strong> - The last time we saw Reese it was against Camas where it might have been one of the worst games of his career as he finished the game scoreless. The 6-foot-6 senior more than made up for things against Beaverton, playing confident and strong in the post with some tough points in the paint and also a smooth stroke from the free throw line. Defensively he made it tough for Beaverton to get any kind of easy shots down low and the Beavers were forced to launch a lot of perimeter jumpers.</p> <p><strong>Isaac Rosenthal (2019 Beaverton)</strong> - The 6-foot senior made some tough buckets in the second half, including a couple of one-handed runners and a swooping left handed layup after driving in from the right side of the basket. Rosenthal is a cerebral point guard who still needs to improve his shooting from long range, but plays smart and largely turnover free. The high academic student may have heard back from some of the schools he applied for early admission to; we will be checking in with him soon.</p>