A Scout’s Take: Harvard-Westlake vs Sierra Canyon (Part 2)

Joel Francisco

February 22, 2022 @ 06:38 PM

A Scout’s Take: Harvard-Westlake vs Sierra Canyon (Part 2) CHATSWORTH, Ca—Sierra Canyon has been on the radar of elite teams for quite some time and was one of the favorites—along with defending champion Corona Centennial—to bag the CIFSS Championship this season. However, Harvard-Westlake had other ideas and put together a masterful performance to come away with a 63-60 victory and advance to their first Open Division Championship. Sophomore Trent Perry nailed two clutch free throws to complement [player_tooltip player_id="748779" first="Cameron" last="Thrower"] and junior [player_tooltip player_id="992481" first="Brady" last="Dunlap"]’s (pictured) outstanding performances as the Wolverines will take on the No. 1 seed Corona Centennial on Friday. Mr. Clutch [player_tooltip player_id="992481" first="Brady" last="Dunlap"] (Harvard-Westlake) 2023, F, 6-foot-7, 195 pounds Joel’s Take: Dunlap’s development is similar to former Santa Margarita standout and current NBA standout Klay Thompson. Let’s be clear, I’m not here saying Dunlap is the next Thompson, but he does have some similar traits. First and foremost, his shooting touch and pull-up game are reminiscent of what Thompson looked like in high school. Dunlap’s 4th quarter performance (10 of his 17-points) brought that slogan “ice in his veins” into reality. He knocked in some deep jump shots, had a breakaway dunk, and penetrated the defense and kicked it to open shooters. Mid-range magician [player_tooltip player_id="748740" first="Amari" last="Bailey"] (Sierra Canyon) 2022, G, 6-foot-5, 185 pounds Joel’s Take: The Trailblazers are a bit of a mixed bag on offense. Yes, they have a plethora of talent with prospects at every position, but Bailey is the catalyst. Everything runs through his ball skills, savvy, and athleticism. The ball-dominant lefty brings a Dwayne Wade type of game as he possesses the ballhandling and burst to break down defenders and finish either over or through the defense with dexterity and flair. He can knock down the 3-ball as well, but his game is in transition and attacking off the bounce. Above the rim [player_tooltip player_id="954225" first="Shy" last="Odom"] (Sierra Canyon) 2022, F, 6-foot-6, 225 pounds [caption id="attachment_792122" align="alignleft" width="150"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/07/Shy-Odom.png"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-792122" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2019/07/Shy-Odom-150x150.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a> Odom is a beast on the inside but has a nice touch from the perimeter too.[/caption] Joel’s take: Mr. Steady continues to be a glue-guy for the Trailblazers. The no nonsense 4-mand always puts together a workmanlike performance inside and out. He rebounds well in and out of his area and has the feet to maneuver well in the paint. His touch has extended to the 3-point stripe and his stroke looks effortless. Although it was a disappointing loss, look for the Trailblazers to reclaim their swag in the state tournament and one of their catalysts should be Odom.       Production personified [player_tooltip player_id="994936" first="Jacob" last="Huggins"] (Harvard-Westlake) 2023, F, 6-foot-7, 205 pounds Joel’s Take: Huggins is a long-armed 4-man who plays the game at a great pace. He is quite the garbage man in the paint area as he gobbles up rebounds and appears to have nose for the ball. He shows good hands and a soft touch in the paint area and he’ll even venture out to knock in a jump shot. Once he continues to mature physically look for him to be an even more productive inside-out threat going forward.