Palomar League Performers: Del Norte vs Mission Hills

<p>League play has begun in San Diego county as teams start to lock in and compete for a chance to hang up a banner. I was able to check out the opening match-up between the Del Norte Nighthawks and the Mission Hills Grizzlies in a Palomar league consisting of some very good teams. After a tightly contested game for a half Mission Hills exploded in the third quarter on their way to a 77 to 49 win against a talented Del Norte team which is a dark horse in the race for the league title showing why the Grizzlies are one of the best teams in the county.</p> <p>Jack Jillson (2024) | 5-10 G | Mission Hills</p> <p>Jillson was contributing in every aspect of the game for Mission Hills. As the Grizzlies point guard, Jillson did a great job of running their offense and consistently finding cutters and mismatches created by switches leading to him creating lots of scoring opportunities for his teammates. Jillson has a great feel for the game so early into his varsity career and gives Mission Hills a reliable floor general for years to come. Jillson also showed the potential he has to be a scorer for Mission Hills, when not playing the role of distributor Jillson was pitching in with some tough pull-up jumpers and floaters in the lane. Jillson is a key part of a Mission Hills team looking to win their first league title since 2013</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="971187" first="Justin" last="White"] (2022) | 6-6 W | Mission Hills</p> <p>White showed why he is one of the best seniors in the 2023 class tonight with a monster 29 point performance. White was scoring with ease around the rim with a variety of post moves and showing off the touch he has around the rim. White dominated mismatches against smaller players and finished strong takes against bigger ones to the rim drawing multiple and-ones. White also showed off a smooth jumper hitting big mid-range shots and threes during the Grizzlies big third-quarter run. White has made huge leaps going into his senior year both in skill and athleticism which allows him to be a very versatile player being able to guard 1-5 and score in a multitude of ways. White is making an early case to be a contender for Palomar League MVP and should be attracting attention from colleges.</p> <p>Benjie Nudo (2022) | 5-11 PG | Del Norte</p> <p>Nudo is one of the most underrated guards in the county and he showed off his skill-set despite a tough loss. Nudo showed his abilities as a point guard attacking the teeth of the defense and being able to set up his teammates with great passing, however, Nudo shined the most for the Night Hawks when he was called on to be their go-to scorer. Nudo’s speed and aggressiveness with the ball make him a deadly scorer as he was finishing at the cup with some crafty layups and pull-up jumpers stopping on a dime. Nudo was able to spark a Del Norte run in the second hitting some tough threes to bring the Nighthawks within three at the half showing off an extremely quick release on his jumper. Nudo and the Nighthawks look to bounce back in league play as he continues a stellar senior year</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="970274" first="Nico" last="Peerenboom"] (2022) | 6-4 G/F | Del Norte</p> <p>Peerenboom is one of Del Norte’s other major weapons and has been a three-year varsity player and now captain of the Night Hawks. Peerenboom showed off his smooth scoring ability in this game with some crafty one-legged faders and spin moves to the rim. Peerenboom is a very confident player and has no issue taking shots from deep as he hit a few threes from distance. Peerenboom was also a big contributor for Del Norte on the boards using his size as a guard to help corral in rebounds and this size of his allows him to be a great defender as he was able to make life difficult for his match-up on the defensive end. Peerenboom has been on Night Hawk teams that have made impressive play-off runs and this year looks to have that same potential if they can put it all together.</p> <p>Jake Bishop (2024) | 6-1 G | Mission Hills</p> <p>Bishop was a big part of the Grizzlies run that put the game to bed and he showed why he and Jillson will be a guard duo to look out for as they enter their upperclassman years. Bishop got hot from three hitting off the catch, in transition, and off the dribble energizing the team’s offense into a huge third-quarter run. His shooting opened up the game for White to continue to be their go-to guy as Bishop’s defender had to worry about his shooting leading to one on one matchups down low. Bishop is another talented young player on a deep Mission Hills squad who look to be in the open division for a second straight season</p> <p>Harry Li (2022) | 6-2 F/C | Del Norte</p> <p>Li came off the bench in tonight’s game with a tough assignment, to check the hot hand of [player_tooltip player_id="971187" first="Justin" last="White"]. Li for being undersized for his position made his matchup work for every shot he took. At just around 6-2 Li makes up for his lack of height with his strength and tenacity on defense as he was not easily moved in the post and could keep up on the wings. Li also is very adept at boxing out and clearing his assignment out of position for rebounds. Li is one of Del Norte’s best energy guys who looks to get the Night Hawks back on track to one of their best seasons in the school’s history.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>