Western Christian 72, Catlin Gabel 46: Top Performers

<p>The defending 2A champs aren't taking it easy in the non-conference slate this year. Western Christian has been playing some of the best teams in the 3A and 4A classes and has passed every test so far with flying colors. That trend continued on Monday night as the Pioneers took care of 3A Catlin Gabel in an endowment game, using an early second-half push to break open a tight game at the half into a 72-46 runaway win.</p> <p>"I was really proud of the way that we responded in the second half," said Western Christian head coach Gary Hull. "I'm really proud of our kids but I'm really proud of the Catlin kids as well. We've been trying to play the best to be our best. It's been paying off and the kids are really enjoying it."</p> <p>Despite the game's final score, the first half was very competitive. Western Christian struggled with their shoting from the field and Catlin Gabel controlled the boards while hitting six threes to stay within striking distance, only trailing by three at the half. But at the outset of the second stanza, the Pioneers amped up their full court press and shot out to a 14-0 run within the first three minutes of play. The Eagles could never recover and Western Christian moved to 3-0 with the win.</p> <p><strong>Top Performers</strong></p> <p><strong>Payton Richardson (2020 Western Christian)</strong> - Stats: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 blocks. This was the first time we had seen Richardson play within the context of his high school team (our previous viewings were all AAU action) and color us impressed. About the only thing the 6-foot-4 Seattle Pacific signee didn't do was take/make an outside jumper and the truth of the matter is he didn't need to. After a slow start, Richardson finished plays around the hoop but quite honestly where he was most impressive was on the defensive end. Playing on the front of Western Christian's full court press, he created havoc with his length and athleticism and led the way with the Pioneers' charge at the start of the second half. He also was incredibly impressive with his court vision and passing in the half-court set. Richardson played hard and simply couldn't be matched up against.</p> <p><strong>Alex Nicoli (2020 Western Christian)</strong> - Stats: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-for-13 3pt. Nicoli's reputation as a shooter and while it looks like he had a bit of an off shooting night, there's no question his stroke and his ability to get it off are premium at the small classification level. The 6-foot-1 senior mainly shot threes but also was tough in the mid-range although he didn't end up attempting any free throws. Defensively, Nicoli played with a very high motor and had his share of created turnovers. He recently picked up his first college scholarship offer and we'll have an update posted soon.</p> <p><strong>Ethan Halgren (2020 Western Christian)</strong> - Stats: 15 points, 7-for-11 fg, 1 rebound, 2 assists. Halgren is a well-built 6-foot-5 post and at the 2A level, that's definitely enough size. Against Catlin Gabel, he was going up against 6-foot-10 Jonah Zeller and he held his own. There were times when Halgren did get blocked but he never backed down and in the second half, he was the recipient of several nice entry passes that led to some easy buckets. It was a little surprising to see him down with only one rebound but he certainly gets more than that on other nights based on his size alone.</p> <p><strong>Ty Vanderhoof (2021 Western Christian)</strong> - Stats: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists. The lone junior in the starting lineup, Vanderhoof had a solid floor game. The 5-foot-8 guard largely served as the hustle guy, took care of the ball when he had it, and kept the offense moving. And like Western Christian's other guards, he showed some great motor on the defensive end.</p> <p><strong>Jett Sheng (2020 Catlin Gabel)</strong> - Stats: 11 points, 7 assists, 4-for-13 fg, 2-for-7 3pt. It wasn't the greatest night for Sheng shooting the ball, but there's no question the 5-foot-11 guard is the heart and soul of the Catlin Gabel team. He's clearly put on some muscle onto his frame and that has enhanced his ability to drive to the basket and finish. As tough as he can be scoring the ball, Sheng was sharp with his passing and often found guys out on the perimeter for open shots. And with all the pressure thrown at him by Western Christian's press, he did a credible job handling the ball.</p> <p><strong>Grant Underwood (2021 Catlin Gabel)</strong> - Stats: 19 points, 3-for-8 3pt. At 5-foot-10 and we estimate maybe 120 pounds, Underwood doesn't look the part but by the end of the night he was Catlin Gabel's top performer in the gym. He wasn't shy about launching threes in the first half but in the second he started to fearlessly take the ball to the hoop and had some impressive finishes over some obviously bigger players.</p> <p><strong>Jonah Zeller (2021 Catlin Gabel)</strong> - Stats: 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks. Zeller was saddled with foul trouble for much of the game but when he played he showed why he's so intriguing. At 6-foot-10, he runs the floor well, holds his position defensively, and has a pretty nice looking face-up jumper. We also noticed that he was more concerted in his effort to post up down low and take it to the hoop strong.</p>