Franklin Tournament: Thursday Top Performers

<p>The Metro League promises to be an intense battle this season especially if the Franklin Tournament on Thursday night is any indication. Mountainside first cruised to a 40-point victory over Reynolds while Aloha used a late run to surpass host Franklin and the Mavericks and Warriors will face off in the finals on Saturday night.</p> <p>In the first game, Mountainside took control from the very start, rushing out to a 25-4 first quarter lead and cruising to a 89-49 win. Senior forward <strong>Connor McClean</strong> led the way with 15 points, but seven Mavericks scored seven or more points and in all, 13 of the 15 players that played scored.</p> <p>"It's a great problem to have - we've got nine, ten, eleven guys we can put into a varsity game and they can all contribute," said Mountainside head coach Dustin Hewitt. "We've got a great group of kids that are hopefully buying in and we've just got to keep them buying in for the whole deal."</p> <p>The second game between Aloha and Franklin was much more competitive. With four minutes left, Franklin held a 41-40 lead and seemed to have all the momentum when senior post Tucker Pellicci drew a charge. But that's actually when the Warriors came alive as senior guard <strong>Caleb Turner</strong> scored eight straight points and their pressure trapping defense wore down the Lightning as Aloha won 54-45, to move to 4-0 on the season.</p> <p>"We're off to a good start," said Aloha head coach David Saultz. "We've got a great group of guys that have played a lot of basketball together. They work hard in practice and we're just battling trying to get better."</p> <p><strong>Top Performers</strong></p> <p><strong>Caleb Turner (2020 Aloha)</strong> - Stats: 18 pts, 4-for-6 3pt. Turner struggled with his shot early but really got hot late in the game, scoring his eight straight points in the fourth on two threes and another pull-up jumper. The senior is very quick with the basketball and has a quick release on his shot which he can shoot with range. He was also very aggressive defensively in the trap Aloha implemented in the second half.</p> <p><strong>Timothy Dennis (2020 Aloha)</strong> - Stats: 8 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast. Dennis is Aloha's version of the Swiss Army Knife as he contributed in multiple areas and positions on both sides of the ball. The 6-foot-3 senior often settled into the point guard spot and used his body to get to the basket. While he struggled with his shot a bit he was tough on the boards and defensively, drew some key charges that gave Aloha some momentum.</p> <p><strong>Tucker Pellicci (2020 Franklin)</strong> - Stats: 10 pts, 12 reb. At times Pellicci struggled a little with a couple of traveling calls on some post moves and also some turnovers on some entry passes from the elbow. But when the 6-foot-11 post stuck with the basics, he did well with some nice touch around the basket and being in the right position on the boards by grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.</p> <p><strong>Anbinh Phan (2020 Franklin)</strong> - Stats: 11 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, 3-5 3pt. After starting point guard Jace Watanabe went out with an injury, Phan came off the bench and provided instant energy. He buried threes, fought hard for rebounds despite often being the smallest guy on the floor at 5-foor-9, and dished out a couple of dimes.</p> <p><strong>Connor McClean (2020 Mountainside)</strong> - Stats: 15 pts, 6-for-8 fg. McClean scored his team-high 15 points despite playing less than half of the game thanks to the game's margin. That said, he was extremely efficient by getting his buckets on some tough drives to the basket where he used his athleticism to finish at the rim - on one breakaway getting a dunk. He stepped out and drained a corner three for good measure as well.</p> <p><strong>Dezman Baker (2022 Mountainside)</strong> - Stats: 11 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast, 2 steal. Baker earned Player of the Game honors in Mountainside blowout wins thanks to his all-around play. The 6-foot-4 wing is best known for attacking the basket on offense but he was able to show some confidence in his perimeter shot by draining a three. He also looked to create for others by driving and dishing and used his long arms to disrupt on defense.</p> <p><strong>Nate Mouzong (2021 Mountainside)</strong> - Stats: 9 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast. Mouzong is a 6-foot-1 junior who has some real bounce to his game. He was extremely quick running up and down the court and was very effective in the penetrate and kick out to Mountainside's three-point shooters. He hit a three of his own while also converting on some athletic drives on the break.</p> <p><strong>Matthew Flores (2020 Reynolds)</strong> - Stats: 12 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast. There weren't many bright spots with Reynolds on Thursday night but Flores had some moments. The 6-foot senior used a crafty dribble to penetrate into the lane and some unorthodox moves to score near the hoop. He was able to draw some fouls and convert the resulting free throws and played with some motor on the defensive end.</p>