2B District 7 Championship Game Full of Sleepers

<p>A large majority of media's content year round and especially this time of year, is centered around the 4A and 3A classes. I decided to make my way over to Liberty and St. George's District title game at West Valley High School in Spokane to see what type of talent the 2B level is showcasing. I walked away with multiple impressions in Liberty's 80-70 win over St. George's. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Takeaways:</strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">1) Both teams brought outstanding energy!</span></p> <p>In a highly anticipated matchup between 22-0 Liberty and 19-3 St. George's, both teams came ready to play. The buzz in the gym was real and we even saw multiple technical fouls handed out early on. 2020 6'0 SG <strong>Jacob Holling</strong> started things off for Liberty. The senior came out on fire from long range, shooting with a ton of confidence from seemingly limitless range on his way to five made 3's. Holling scored 22 of his game high 26 points in the first half. The level of focus and energy Holling showed on offense in half one set the tone for Liberty early on, but St. George's refused to go away. 2020 5'9 PG <strong>Dan Rigsby</strong> is the energizer bunny for his squad. He made plays on both sides of the ball, causing havoc on defense and pushing the tempo on offense. Rigsby is generously listed at 5'9, but he kept the pressure and tempo coming. He would go on to finish with 22 points in the losing effort. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2) St. George's has a solid pair of 2021 wings</span></p> <p>2021 6'5 SF <strong>Nico Morales</strong> got things going early on, attacking the basket and using a variety of shot fakes and pivots around the hoop to get his shot off. He is a capable midrange shooter and knocked down his free throws with ease. The junior has a pretty lean frame and he is not an explosive athlete at this stage, but he is skilled overall. Morales will be able to play at the next level and currently projects as a small college prospect. </p> <p>2021 6'5 SG/SF <strong>Nick Watkins</strong> really got things rolling in the second half, keeping St. George's in the game. He is a good shooter and forced Liberty into some face guard situations, but he was still able to cut to get open and score with skill. Watkins is an outside shooter and slasher that will also be able to play at the next level. He does need to get stronger, but the skill set and height for position is there as displayed in this 30 point performance. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">3) <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayshawn-colvin/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayshawn-colvin/">Tayshawn Colvin</a></a>'s basketball IQ is as good as I have seen this season</span></p> <p>2022 6'0 PG <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayshawn-colvin/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tayshawn-colvin/">Tayshawn Colvin</a></a> is the floor general for Liberty and showed that first hand in this game. Despite having tape wrapped around his wrist and getting banged up from an early knee to knee collision, Colvin willed his team to victory with his mind. The All-League sophomore was hobbled, especially early on, but his understanding of the point guard position was apparent. He has great touch and placement on post entry passes and he balances out getting teammates involved and looking for his own shot. Colvin regularly draws fouls and finds his way to the free throw line quite often, where he connects at a really high rate. He would go on to finish with 20 points and 6 assists on the night, helping Liberty to 23-0 and a number one seed headed into regionals. </p> <hr /> <p>As the number 1 and 2 seeds, Liberty and St. George's will both receive automatic bids to the State Tournament, whether they win or lose in the regional round. </p> <ul> <li>Liberty is the #1 seed and will take on #8 White Swan in a regional game</li> <li>St. George's is the #2 Seed and will take on #7 Onalaska in their regional game </li> </ul> <p>Full Regional matchups can be found here: <span style="color: #ff6600;"><a style="color: #ff6600;" href="http://wiaa.com/ardisplay.aspx?ID=1887">http://wiaa.com/ardisplay.aspx?ID=1887</a></span></p>