Francisco’s Finest: St. Bernard vs St. Anthony (Part 2)

Joel Francisco

February 25, 2022 @ 12:44 AM

Francisco’s Finest: St. Bernard vs St. Anthony (Part 2) LONG BEACH, Ca—It was a frenetic night in Errion Gym in front of a full capacity crowd as the Saints of St. Anthony came up a bit short against league foe St. Bernard. The Vikings would earn their third victory of the year over the Saints in a thrilling 66-64 victory. The perimeter play was the determining factor for the Vikings as Jason Hart Jr (20-points) led the way at both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="954255" first="Elijah" last="Price"] (St. Anthony) did his best to keep the Saints in it and fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id="748743" first="Jaayden" last="Bush"] put together a spectacular 4th quarter, but Hart and junior [player_tooltip player_id="994964" first="Tyler" last="Rolison"] (pictured) were too much to handle in transiton as the Vikings had too many exploration opportunities at the rim where points came in abundance. Francisco’s Finest Transition nightmare [player_tooltip player_id="994964" first="Tyler" last="Rolison"] (St. Bernard) 2023, PG, 6-foot-1, 175 pounds Joel’s Take: One of the better junior guards in the state is Rolison. He has a quality frame with good length and his speed and quickness is high-level. His playmaking in transition is awe-inspiring as he’ll either explode to the rim or drop off the nifty assist. He can knock in the 3-point shot as well, but his strength is attacking off the dribble and converting in the paint where tossed in a couple skillful floaters/runners. Rayniel Wright (St. Bernard) 2022, G, 6-foot, 160 pounds Joel’s Take: Head Coach Tony Bland, who was a high-level point guard in his own right—is blessed with a phenomenal quartet of guards. While Rolison, Carr, and Hart get most of the attention, Wright is a gifted player as well. The long-armed guard plays both ways with aplomb. He has the length and active hands to be a defensive disrupter and he does a nice job managing the game on the other end. His burst is impressive where he puts defenders on their heels and he can knock down the 3-point shot as well. Jaedyn Patterson (St. Anthony) 2025, G, 6-foot-1, 155 pounds Joel’s Take: One of the first traits that stands out about Patterson is his moxie. The fearless freshman does not show any inclination of fear at either end of the floor. His defense on stud junior [player_tooltip player_id="992482" first="Darius" last="Carr"] was impressive and he handed out some nice passes—advances the ball very well. Fellow freshman Caleb Versher (St. Bernard) had some bright moments as well as he converted a smooth looking deep jump shot and tossed in a couple of clutch freethrows. Both look like quality prospects that should be impacting the California landscape the next 3 years. Kendyl Sanders (St. Bernard) 2024, F, 6-foot-5, 175 pounds Joel’s Take: Despite the Vikings getting quality performances from their endless list of gifted guards, Sanders provided that much needed boost with his paint finishes. In the first half he put together some nice pivot work and converted some shots over his left shoulder. In the 2nd half he used his length, solid hands, and instincts to snag some critical rebounds and some impressive finishes—including a thunderous dunk off a drive. Trevon Morris (St. Anthony) 2022, F, 6-foot-4, 210 pounds Joel’s Take: Morris didn’t put up a huge scoring night, but that is not his game. He is a burly 5-man who attacks the glass with a vengeance. He grabbed a couple of rebounds where he exploded above the rim and he finished a couple of them as well. He doesn’t have a polished skill set, but he is the ultimate glue-type where he’ll defend multiple positions and his motor runs hot.