Titan Turkey Shootout: Best Scorers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ONTARIO — The Titan Turkey Shootout brought together 16 programs from the Inland Empire to Orange County to the high desert to Los Angeles and the South Bay for an 8-game slate that featured some highly-competitive matchups. In this piece we take a closer look at the best scorers from Saturday's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Anthony Smith, Jr., Rancho Verde</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith, Jr. exploded for a game-high 32 points in Rancho Verde's three-point loss to Anaheim Canyon and did most of his damage around the basket off of physical downhill drives which he finished with athletic layups and strong finishes through contact. Smith, Jr. dropped 21 points in a first half that saw Rancho Verde struggle to score outside of the 6-foot-2 senior and Smith's effort throughout the game kept the Mustangs in striking distance and helped spark the comeback attempt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1630650' first='Brandon' last='Benjamin'], Anaheim Canyon</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What else is there to say about Benjamin other than he might be the best low-post scorer in Southern California and he stands at just 6-feet-5. The sophomore forward is as crafty as they come around the basket with his combination of footwork, ability to use his body and shot fakes to create space and finish equally well with either hand. Benjamin's low block scoring acumen and feel make him a tough cover for any defender and he finished with 21 points while being guarded by Houston-bound center [player_tooltip player_id='1434424' first='Jacob' last='McFarland'], a 6-foot-10 senior who also happens to be one of the better shot blockers in the region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='996387' first='Denzel' last='Hines'], Colony</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The keys to the Colony offense belong to Hines now that Jaden Henley is graduated and starting at the University of Minnesota and classmate [player_tooltip player_id='994955' first='Kollen' last='Murphy'], a potential returning starter, transferred to Rancho Christian. In his first official game as the Titans' go-to guy Hines dropped 20 points, including four three-pointers, in a win over Riverside Hillcrest which features one of the best post defenders and rim protectors in the country in Minnesota-signee [player_tooltip player_id='1434417' first='Dennis' last='Evans'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1502780' first='Jaden' last='Goodall'], Anaheim Canyon</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goodall continues to make improvements to his all-around game, which was already pretty good in the first place. The 6-foot-6 lefty has such good scoring feel both off the bounce and when playing without the ball that sometimes his point totals and impact on the game sneak up on you. That wasn't the case in Canyon's win over Rancho Verde where Goodall scored 17 points - from all three levels of the floor - and showed in that process that his ability to absorb and finish through contact around the basket has made big strides.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Kaden Bailey, Crean Lutheran</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are few freshmen in SoCal who have the ability to fill up the scoring column the way Bailey does. The 6-foot-1 combo guard scored a team-high 20 points in the Saints win over Oak Hills and is of that new-age guard that can truly manipulate the defense with the dribble and get to any spot on the floor that he wants. Bailey hit three triples, some mid-range jumpers and was able to get into the teeth of the defense, draw fouls and convert at the free throw line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->