Ten Best: Orange Lutheran vs. Pacifica Christian (OC)
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A non-league tilt between Orange Lutheran and Pacifica Christian featured a handful next-level caliber players. Denim Dawson Denim Dawson 6'5" | SF Orange Lutheran | 2021 State CA-S , a 6-foot-5 wing, and Yigit Arcan, a 6-foot guard, paced the…
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Continue ReadingA non-league tilt between Orange Lutheran and Pacifica Christian featured a handful next-level caliber players. Denim Dawson Denim Dawson 6'5" | SF Orange Lutheran | 2021 State CA-S , a 6-foot-5 wing, and Yigit Arcan, a 6-foot guard, paced the Lancers to victory, while Pepperdine-bound guard Houston Mallette Houston Mallette 6'4" | PG Pacifica Christian | 2021 State #201 Nation CA-S had an impressive showing for Pacifica Christian.
Best Scorer: Houston Mallette Houston Mallette 6'4" | PG Pacifica Christian | 2021 State #201 Nation CA-S , Pacifica Christian – The 6-foot-5 combo guard went off in the second half, the fourth quarter in particular, scoring 17 of his game-high 29 in the final 16 minutes, including 13 to lead a fourth quarter comeback.
Best Shooter: Yigit Arcan, Orange Lutheran – Arcan is not shy about pulling the trigger and with the rate in which he makes shots, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t pull if he’s open. The 6-foot senior scored a team-high 23 points, including five three-pointers.
Second-Best Shooter: Riyaan Jiwani Riyaan Jiwani 6'2" | SG Pacifica Christian OC | 2022 State CA-S , Pacifica Christian – Arcan and Jiwani are both such good shooters that we had to give the Pacifica Christian guard a shout out. The 6-foot-1 junior is a lethal set shooter from three-point range and showed a smooth pull-up mid-range jumper off the bounce, as well.
Best Passer: Houston Mallette Houston Mallette 6'4" | PG Pacifica Christian | 2021 State #201 Nation CA-S , Pacifica Christian – In addition to his scoring output, Mallette shoulders much of the load for creating offensive opportunities for his teammates. His assist total (four) wasn’t anything eye-popping, but the fact that he trusts his teammates to make plays and make shots by setting them up with timely and accurate passes gives him the nod here.
Best Finisher: Denim Dawson Denim Dawson 6'5" | SF Orange Lutheran | 2021 State CA-S , Orange Lutheran – The athletically-gifted wing used his explosiveness and speed in transition to get into the paint finish through or above contact. Dawson finished with 15 points, a majority of those coming at the rim in a variety of ways.
Best Rebounder: Houston Mallette Houston Mallette 6'4" | PG Pacifica Christian | 2021 State #201 Nation CA-S , Pacifica Christian – There weren’t a whole lot of true big men in this one, so the boards were open for any player who wanted to give the effort to crash the boards. That guy was Mallette who finished with a game-high 11 rebounds. It was all about energy and effort in this category and Mallette worked hard inside.
Best Defender: Zavian Rivera, Orange Lutheran – Rivera is a tough and physical on-ball defender who showed the ability to pressure and speed up guards while also showing a high basketball IQ as a positional and team defender.
Best Bench Performance: Salim Semaan, Pacifica Christian – The starters did most of the damage for both teams, but Semaan provided the Tritons with a nice boost of energy off the bench. The 6-foot-3 sophomore scored five points and grabbed four rebounds in limited minutes. He was also a disruptive presence defensively and helped muck the game up to help Pacifica get back in it.
Best Glue-Guy: Zavian Rivera, Orange Lutheran – Rivera is the type of guy who identifies what the team needs to win and makes things happen in those areas. It’s not always scoring or a nasty blocked shot, but Rivera makes great extra passes, puts pressure on the defense when needed and is willing to sacrifice his body for a charge or when diving on the floor for a loose ball.
Best Interior Player: Cannon Potter, Orange Lutheran – As mentioned before there wasn’t a whole lot of traditional size or post players in this game, so Potter stood out as an interior guy with potential. The 6-foot-6 sophomore has inside-out touch and can face-up and make shots out to the three-point line.