3A State Playoffs Preview

<p>It’s an exciting time of the year as the playoffs are going to get underway for some of the small schools. 3A started off with a few favorites and it has shaped out to be more competitive than we thought. The two pre-season top teams remain contenders but they are human as teams are starting to figure out how to beat these private school powerhouse teams. </p> <p>Final Rankings Top 10</p> <ol> <li>Layton Christian Academy</li> <li>North Sanpete</li> <li>Grantsville</li> <li>Juan Diego Catholic</li> <li>Morgan</li> <li>Ben Lomond</li> <li>Manti</li> <li>Summit Academy</li> <li>Union</li> <li>Juab</li> </ol> <p>Regardless of RPI ranking the two top teams to beat that likely have the most college prospects is Layton Christian Academy and Juan Diego Catholic. They both have multiple players from all over the world that make there way here to possible make it at the next level.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Top Players to Watch</span></p> <p><strong>6’9 C [player_tooltip player_id="1114374" first="Malick" last="Diallo"] || Juan Diego Catholic || 2024 ||</strong></p> <p>Hands down the best player in the 3A Tournament as he has a host of schools that are courting him and that have already offered at the Division 1 level. Defensively they have him playing various zones and traps as he can roam and protect the rim. With an outside touch and a dominant inside game he will be a focal point for other teams. the question will be, how will he adjust to the increased physical nature that usually is played by smaller/rural schools in the playoffs. </p> <p><strong>6’0 G Tyrese Lacey || Layton Christian Academy || 2023 ||</strong></p> <p>Guard play is very important in the playoffs as they tend to have the ball in their hands a lot more than bigs. With so many players getting playing time at LCA will Tyrese and other top players get the bulk of the minutes or will they go with the hockey sub approach is the question because when Tyrese is in the game he controls the tempo and he will be tough to stop. </p> <p><strong>6’0 G [player_tooltip player_id="967694" first="Carter" last="Killian"] || Grantsville High School || 2022 ||</strong></p> <p>One of the best guards in 3A as he is a big reason Grantsville has decrease the margin from those top teams in the classification. Look for him to go off this tournament as he has next level talent. </p> <p><strong>6’0 G Landon Bowles || North Sanpete High School || 2022 ||</strong></p> <p>In the last 8 games Landon has been averaging over 20 PPG and he doesn’t look like he is going to slow down as he has shifted into another gear. he is another small school prospect with next level ability.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Favorites</span></p> <p><strong>Juan Diego Catholic</strong></p> <p><strong>Layton Christian Academy</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Sleeper Teams</span></p> <p><strong>Morgan</strong></p> <p><strong>Manti</strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>