Week One Top Performers (Part II)

<p>Week one of the 2021-22 basketball season provided some solid action and we had the opportunity to take in a number of games. Here’s a look at some of the top performers we saw (part I) from three games - Wells over Sherwood at the Southridge Tournament and then two from the Tigard Tournament - David Douglas over Newberg and Tigard over Aloha.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="861095" first="Kalim" last="Brown"] (2023 Tigard)</strong></p> <p>Brown had the top individual offensive performance we saw in week one. The 6-foot-1 guard was scoring every which way possible, whether it was busting the zone with threes, pulling up off the dribble, or finishing in transition after opponent turnovers. He ended up with a career-high 35 points on 14-for-18 shooting while also grabbing five rebounds and making three steals.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="861097" first="Malik" last="Brown"] (2023 Tigard)</strong></p> <p>While his twin brother was lighting up the scoreboard, Brown was putting together quite a performance of his own. He was relatively quiet in the first half but caught fire from deep in the second half knocking down four threes. In both halves, he hit the boards and ran the offense smoothly. In the end, the 6-foot-1 junior had flirted with a triple-double with 19 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1229381" first="Josiah" last="Collins"] (2022 David Douglas)</strong></p> <p>After a rough day before, Collins more than made up for things on Saturday. The 5-foot-10 guard used his physique to his advantage, getting to the hoop and finishing around the rim on the break. In the halfcourt setting to combat the zone, whether he was positioned up on top, on the wing, or in the middle on the elbow, Collins was effective hitting jumpers. Defensively he brought plenty of energy as well. He finished with 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1346573" first="Sol" last="Byles"] (2022 Newberg)</strong></p> <p>In general Newberg had a rough go trying to get their offense going, but one guy that consistently created his own scoring was Byles. At 6-foot-3 with a college-ready body, he was able to use his crafty dribble to create space for himself and then utilize footwork to get his shot off. The senior was most effective on the drive but has a nice-enough looking release that he could be a threat from deep. Byles ended up with 18 points for the Tigers.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="857358" first="Leo" last="Sewell"] (2022 Wells)</strong></p> <p>Sewell had a great night against Sherwood in the opening game of the Southridge Tournament. He used his speed and quickness to help create turnovers and get the Guardians break going and scored a bunch of easy layups as a result. The 5-foot-9 guard is a natural floor leader and consistently broke down the defense to find teammates for open scores both in transition and in the half-court. Sewell finished with 18 points, six rebounds, and eight assists.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1232311" first="Jacey" last="Canalin"] (2024 Wells)</strong></p> <p>Wells is going to rely on their speed and quickness advantage over opponents and Canalin certainly exemplified both in Friday night’s win. The 5-foot-7 guard was all over the place on both ends of the floor, constantly keeping his matchup off-balance. One play certainly said it all - on one break when the numbers weren’t in his favor, he pulled up briefly only to quickly accelerate and get the easy basket past the resting defense. Canalin finished with 17 points and seven assists.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1202059" first="Owen" last="Caudle"] (2022 Sherwood)</strong></p> <p>The Bowmen were without star wing [player_tooltip player_id="1232163" first="Jared" last="Sucher"] so it largely fell on Caudle to provide much of the offense, which he did despite battling some foul trouble. The 6-foot guard was near unstoppable getting to the basket and finishing and he hit one three to keep the defense honest. He was a factor on the boards for Sherwood and did his best to keep the tempo at a quicker pace.  He finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.</p>