A Scout’s Take: St. Anthony vs Colony (Part 2)

<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>A Scout’s Take: St. Anthony vs Colony (Part 2)</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">LONG BEACH, Ca—Colony High School was hoping to travel the road—a long road that is from Ontario to Long Beach—to victory. However, the Saints of St. Anthony had other ideas as that “road” became even longer for the Titans as the Saints blitzed to a 31-11 lead after the 1st quarter. The Titans made a few runs, but the sharpshooting Saints—led by senior guard <b>Lucas Gray’s</b> 25-points—would be too much as they cruised to a 75-54 victory.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Unsigned Gem</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="954255" first="Elijah" last="Price"] (St. Anthony)</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>2022, 6-foot-9, 195 pounds</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Joel’s Take</b>: One of the better-unsigned seniors in the state is Price. The rangy 4-man had his fingertips on every aspect of the game. He dropped in an efficient 20-points and snagged 13-rebounds on the night including a few block shots as well. He played with physicality in the paint area as he finished through contact and he showed off his range as well by dropping in a 3-pointer.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Physical guard</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="997945" first="Jaidyn" last="Simpson"] (Colony)</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>2023, G, 6-foot-3, 190 pounds</b></span></p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Jaidyn-Simpson-Colony.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1337860 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/11/Jaidyn-Simpson-Colony-150x150.jpg" alt="Jaidyn-Simpson-Colony" width="150" height="150" /></a></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Joel’s Take</b>: Simpson is one of the better sleeper-types in Southern California. The ultra-physical guard has a nice burst and explosion at the rim as he finished through contact and even caught an alley-oop in traffic for the flush. In addition to his finishes, he also showed off his touch from beyond the arc as he dropped in a couple of jump shots. However, going forward he needs to play at a better pace (change speeds) as he and his teammates were quite turnover prone against the Saints.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Sleeper Alert</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Donald Bluitt (Colony)</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>2023, G, 5-foot-11, 185 pounds</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Joel’s Take: </b>When it comes to speed and quick 1st steps, Buitt is one of the better guards out there in these two departments. His crossover is nasty and he has the strength to carry defenders on his hip for the finish in the paint. However, in this game against the ball-hawking Saints, Bluitt ran into trouble time and time again. Going forward he needs to work on changing speeds, utilizing the jump stop, and not try to force the issue. The talent is evident, but continued evolution is needed.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>2025 on the rise</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Jaedyn Patterson (St. Anthony)</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>2025, G, 6-foot-1, 155 pounds</b></span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Joel’s Take:</b> Patterson exhibited why he’s considered one of the better freshmen in Southern California. The long-armed point guard showed savvy beyond his years with his look-ahead passes and nifty passes off the pick-and-roll. His shot is smooth and easy and he gets it off quickly. Defensively, he is a ball hawk who shows exceptional quickness and active hands.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p>