CTC Classic: Top Guards Pt. 2

<p>12 teams from across Georgia met at Cass High School for the Create The Culture Classic. Nine of the 12 teams were ranked in the Top 10. Here’s who stood out from the star-studded event.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-4 G [player_tooltip player_id="1036811" first="Ethan" last="Pickett"] – Cherokee</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1036811" first="Ethan" last="Pickett"] drew the unenviable assignment of having to check Ole Miss-signee [player_tooltip player_id="934248" first="James" last="White"]. While White ended up getting his, he didn’t get the most important stat: the W. Pickett harassed White the best he could with his freakish athleticism and quickness. He challenged him on-ball and helped make key stops down the stretch. Not known as a shooter, Pickett buried a huge three in the fourth quarter just when it looked like Heritage was about to put the game away. Pickett tacked on 13 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in a wild 62-56 victory. Pickett is a High Major athlete that is starting to polish up his skills. He earned an offer from Denmark Tech after the game.</p> <p><strong>2021 6-5 CG [player_tooltip player_id="754245" first="Taihland" last="Owens"] – Cherokee<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/IMG_1114.jpg?1607468729992"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1096902 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/12/IMG_1114-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a></strong></p> <p>Taihland said after the game that he was focused on distributing and getting his teammates involved as little brother Tayden was out with an ankle injury, moving T.O. to point guard. With 2:30 left on the clock and his team down 8 points, Owens was stuck on 4 points. Fast forward to 2:09, it was a tie ball game and Owens had 12. You had to be there to believe it. Owens’ 8-point possession – yes, one possession – completely changed the game. When Cherokee needed Owens’ scoring most, he came through.</p> <p><strong>2022 5-11 CG Zailan Blue – Duluth</strong></p> <p>A fearless scorer, Zailan Blue had the green light to fire away from deep. He sank three threes and paced Duluth’s outside shooting. Aside from his touch, Blue showed a sneaky smooth ability to slither into the lane and finish in a crowd. When he wasn’t looking to score, he still managed to get two feet in the paint and kick out to shooters. He scored 14 points in a 57-53 loss to South Paulding.</p> <p><strong>2023 6-2 CG Jeremiah Taylor – South Paulding</strong></p> <p>Only a sophomore, Jeremiah Taylor grew before our eyes in the second half. After a goose egg in the first 16 minutes, Taylor found his aggressive side and started to attack the rim. The bouncy guard got to the basket and finished through contact. His energy was infectious as South Paulding started to play with more pace in the second half after trailing Duluth 33-27 at the break. Taylor finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Even when he wasn’t scoring in the first half, Taylor never pressed the issue or took bad shots. He was content with facilitating, but when the game was on the line he knew it was time to crank it up a notch.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-2 PG Cayden Charles – Allatoona</strong></p> <p>With [player_tooltip player_id="869655" first="Marshall" last="Willingham"] out, Allatoona had to go small. The beneficiary was Cayden Charles who got the start. Charles went on to be an unsung hero with his dynamic play on both ends of the floor. Now when I say dynamic, it wasn’t jaw-dropping plays but it was just the number of different things he brought to the table that all amounted to a huge win over Mt. Pisgah. Charles really did a little bit of everything but it was his defense that stood out most. He held strong battling the likes of [player_tooltip player_id="806742" first="JoJo" last="Peterson"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1049036" first="MJ" last="Winter"]. Charles had a handful of strips when the Patriots attacked the hoop and made getting anything going toward the rim difficult. Charles totaled 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in a breakout performance.</p> <p><strong>2022 6-1 PG [player_tooltip player_id="1049036" first="MJ" last="Winter"] – Mt. Pisgah</strong></p> <p>Malachi Winter didn’t have his biggest output of the season, but he was one of the most reliable guards the Patriots had on Saturday. He picked and chose his spots and helped defend multiple Bucs on the wing. The lefty had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. He’s a well-rounded scorer with a solid floor game and upside defensively. He could be in line for a breakout season next year once the 2021 class graduates.</p>