Three Things to Watch: Etiwanda vs. St. Anthony

<p>RANCHO CUCAMONGA — Etiwanda played host to St. Anthony last Thursday night in a CIF Southern Section Open Division playoff game with the Eagles pulling out a 71-55 victory to move to 1-0 in Pool A along with Sierra Canyon. Etiwanda put forth a balanced scoring effort as four Eagles scored in double-figures led by UCLA-commit <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaylen-clark/">Jaylen Clark</a></strong>'s 15, followed by <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyree-campbell/">Tyree Campbell</a></strong> with 14, <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/camren-pierce/">Camren Pierce</a></strong> with 12 and <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brantly-stevenson/">Brantly Stevenson</a></strong> with 11. Long Beach State-bound wing <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jadon-jones/">Jadon Jones</a> led the Saints with 18.</p> <p><strong>Three Things to Watch</strong></p> <p><strong>When will Etiwanda's talented trio of unsigned seniors get the looks they deserve?</strong></p> <p>If there's a Southern California high school program that produces more college-ready players than Etiwanda, I'd like to hear about it. One of the most important aspects of the game that college freshmen struggle to grasp at the next level is the defensive side of the ball and that just happens to be a strength of all the Eagles' guards. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tyree-campbell/">Tyree Campbell</a>, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brantly-stevenson/">Brantly Stevenson</a> and <strong>Darryl Jackson, Jr.</strong> are the three unsigned seniors on Etiwanda's roster, all of whom have the offensive and defensive skill sets to be viable contributors at the low Division I and high Division II level given the right fit. Campbell is long, smooth and athletic, while Stevenson has good size, a high basketball IQ, and can play both on or off the ball, and Jackson is a guy that brings a toughness factor to both ends of the floor, and like Stevenson, can initiate offense or operate off the ball.</p> <p><strong>St. Anthony's young big man has made strides</strong></p> <p><strong>Elijah Price</strong> has improved considerably since we saw him earlier this season at the Ryse Williams Pac Shores tournament. Back then, the lanky 6-foot-8 sophomore was kind of just out there to serve as a safety rim protector in the Saints full-court pressure defense. Fast forward 3.5 months later and Price is a legit shot blocker, rebounder and rim runner who has good hands and footwork in the painted area. Price even showed some back to the basket moves on the low block. If he continues to progress at this rate, look for him to be recruited at the high Division I level.</p> <p><strong>Clark's buy-in has Etiwanda looking tough as ever</strong></p> <p>When news broke before the season that highly-regarded wing <strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jaylen-clark/">Jaylen Clark</a></strong> was making the move from Corona Centennial to Etiwanda, the SoCal basketball scene was turned on its head. An already loaded Eagles' team was adding a 6-foot-5 swingman whose defensive potential is off the charts and remedied one of the team's most glaring issues: long scoring droughts. Clark bought in to what coach Dave Kleckner asked of him and that, combined with his size, athleticism, physicality and scoring prowess, has Etiwanda looking like the one team in Pool A who can give Sierra Canyon a run for its money.</p>