CIF-SS Finals: Top Role Players (Part II)

Devin Ugland February 26, 2020 @ 02:30 AM

The CIF Southern Section basketball championship match-ups are officially set and there will be ten title games spread across four locations on Saturday: The Pyramid at Long Beach State, Azusa Pacific University, Colony high school and Godinez high school. Below is the full championship slate with times and locations of some division still TBA. Open Division: Sierra Canyon vs. Mater Dei, Friday, 8:30 p.m. at Long Beach State Division 1: Windward vs. Riverside Poly Division 2AA: Santa Clarita Christian vs. St. Francis Division 2A: Ribet Academy vs. Hesperia Division 3AA: Hillcrest vs. Salesian Division 3A: Shadow Hills vs. Price Division 4AA: Renaissance Academy vs. Aquinas Division 5AA: Arrowhead Christian vs. Bishop Diego Division 5A: Banning vs. Trinity Classical Academy While the top players for many of these programs will get plenty of ink and recognition during the course of the week leading up to the championship games, we wanted to take a look at the top role players to watch heading into the title games. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/aidan-prukop/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/aidan-prukop/">Aidan Prukop</a></a>, Mater Dei The 6-foot-4 wing has bought in to his sixth-man role and his production off the bench has been nothing short of impressive. Prukop, who is signed with Cal Poly SLO, is a guy the Monarchs can count on to make the right play no matter the situation. He's a high IQ defender, makes the right pass at the right time, doesn't force the issue offensively, and can spread the floor consistently from behind-the-arc. Harold Yu, Sierra Canyon There aren't many role players on a squad as loaded as the Trailblazers, but the 7-foot-3 center has emerged as a guy with a job to do and he does it well. Yu continues to make strides in the development of his offensive game, and when Sierra Canyon feels the need to pound the ball inside, the junior can use his size and strength to score around the basket. Yu's biggest impact comes on the defensive end as his presence in the paint serves as an effective rim protector and deterrent for drivers thinking of trying to finish around the rim. Jason Gallant, St. Francis Outside of UC Irvine-bound guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/andre-henry/"><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/andre-henry/">Andre Henry</a></a>, St. Francis is filled with solid role players, none more important than Gallant. The 6-foot-2 positionless basketball player makes his mark in every aspect of the game. He's a high level team and individual defender, can handle the ball and initiate offense and can score at all three levels of the floor when needed. What separates Gallant from a lot of other high school players is how he impacts the game with his leadership, both vocal and by example. Keith Hall, Jr., Riverside Hillcrest Like we mentioned with Chris Anderson in our first look at the top role players, Hall is a guy who provides a consistent perimeter shooting threat for the Trojans. The 6-foot junior is shooting 34 percent from behind-the-arc on the season and has knocked down three or more 3-pointers in 12 games this season. Salesian will likely pay a lot of attention to Sebastian Mendoza on his drives into the paint, which will provide Hall with plenty of open looks from deep. Marcus Joseph, Windward The 6-foot-4 senior has come alive at the most important time. It took Joseph a little bit of time to get back into basketball shape and rhythm after returning from football season, and now that he's got his conditioning and touch right, he's been one of the main reasons why Windward is in the title game. Joseph is a very difficult guy to guard because of his combination of size, strength, fundamental footwork and touch around the basket. The Wildcats have been running a lot of high-low action with Joseph using his body to seal off defenders and his soft hands to catch those over the top passes and finish off the glass.