5A State Championship Standouts

<p>The 5A State Championship wasn’t as expected as the key players were not hitting like usual. Both teams had to rely on their defense to really force their best players into tough shots. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Woods Cross High School </span></p> <p><strong>6’1 PG [player_tooltip player_id="969245" first="Jaxon" last="Smith"] || Woods Cross High School || 2023 ||</strong></p> <p>Jaxon was the only player n the WX team that got into double figures as it was a low scoring game. The reason Jaxon was able to get into double-figures was his shooting ability. Jaxon has really emerged as a strong player in the Class of 2023 but he is really good at finding his shot. Look for Jaxon to really have a even better year next year as he returns for his senior season and he will be quicker and stronger as he will have an even more balance attack. </p> <p><strong>6’2 G [player_tooltip player_id="1201579" first="Zach" last="Delange"] || Woods Cross High School || 2022 ||</strong></p> <p>Zach had a solid run in the tournament and showcased more talent this season than in the past as this new system really allowed him to play freely and Zach has a nice little mid-range game and a bit of size at the guard position. </p> <p><strong>6’3 G [player_tooltip player_id="934027" first="Mason" last="Bendinger"] || Woods Cross High School || 2023 ||</strong></p> <p>Mason had a tough day last night but good teams are going to key off of him and his teammates missed a few open looks but moving forward Mason is going to be a guard to really know on the west coast as he can score at all three levels. Mason should have a big club year matching up against some of the best players in the country on one of the best circuits in the country.</p> <p><strong>6’4 Alex Brey || Woods Cross High School || 2023 ||</strong></p> <p>Alex might have not scored a ton of points but he was out there cleaning up the boards. The wing was out there being active and getting rebounds on both ends of the floor. With some more polish to his game and he could really be an impact player next season. </p> <p><strong>6’6 F Nick Hogan || Woods Cross High School || 2022 ||</strong></p> <p>Held his own a bit against one of the best bigs in the state as he has the strength. Solid overall showing this season from Nick. </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Olympus High School </span></p> <p><strong>6’5 SG [player_tooltip player_id="1057034" first="Dutch" last="Dowdell"] || Olympus High School || 2024 ||</strong></p> <p>Dutch was by far the best player on the court last night as he was pulling from all over a she displayed what he does best and that is find open spots and shoot the ball. Dutch hit four huge 3-pointers that really made the difference for his team and the opposing team that was struggling shooting the ball. Dutch has proven he can hit shots with defenders on him off the bounce and in catch and shoot situation. Bright future ahead of this young man. </p> <p><strong>6’9 [player_tooltip player_id="934490" first="Jack" last="Wistrcill"] || Olympus High School || 2022 ||</strong></p> <p>Might have not had the best performance offensively but defensively he had a few stretches where he was solid on the defensive ends of the floor. He switched off on a guard and got a huge block. Jack was solid and although he did not score a lot he made some really good reads and they led to open looks for his teammates. </p> <p><strong>6’2 PG [player_tooltip player_id="1057020" first="Jordan" last="Barnes"] || Olympus High School || 2024 ||</strong></p> <p>Jordan did some little things in a tough defensive game as he made the extra pass that led to some scoring. </p>