Queen Creek at Desert Ridge: Varsity Standouts

On Tuesday, January 10th I attended the 6A battle in the east valley of the Desert Ridge Jaguars hosting the Queen Creek Bulldogs.   The Jaguars were ranked 20th and Bulldogs were ranked 28th at the time of the game.   Queen Creek led throughout most of the first three quarters including a 11-2 start to the game. QC led 27-23 at halftime and 42-37 heading into the 4th quarter.   The game tightened up near the end of the 4th quarter and they were tied at 50-all under two minutes.   The Jaguars scored four straight points followed by a three from QC with 15 secs to play. DR proceeded to turn the ball with 7.7 secs to play and called timeout. The Bulldogs drove the lane and attempted a shot but to no avail. The Jaguars held on to win 54-53.   <h2>Here were some of the standouts of the night in a close contest:</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='1570816' first='Payton' last='Lapping'] Desert Ridge (Pictured)   A sturdy framed scoring guard made two clutch baskets under a minute to pull out the victory. With some help from Fuentes he smartly cut to the basket twice and Zy found him for scores. He can hit from deep off the catch and creates some offense for himself. He keeps moving without the ball to make himself available for a possible score. He is a sneaky good passer and rebounder in his area.   [player_tooltip player_id='1674460' first='Zy' last='Fuentes'] Desert Ridge    A good sized combo guard made some critical passes for scores late in the game to earn the win. He has a knack of throwing it to the best spot for his teammate to catch it. He was also a menace on defense as he tapped the ball away multiple times from his opponents and he has quick hands to collect steals. Offensively he often cuts to the basket and can hit the catch three plus make driving layups. He hit a layup and three both at the end of buzzers showing his calmness under fire.   [player_tooltip player_id='1567091' first='Aiden' last='Patterson'] Desert Ridge   Patterson battled foul trouble all game but made a few important plays when he was in. He has great size for position and long arms. His length on defense really affects his opponents getting by him. He has a polished mid-range pull-up and he rebounds well using his size and athletic gifts.   [player_tooltip player_id='1742619' first='Brandon' last='Mangahas'] Desert Ridge   A pure point guard always has his head up surveying the court. He is a good left or right hand passer and will score when needed. He has a burst of speed he can use to get to the basket or he deceptively changes speeds. His pick and roll game is on point and he threw one impressive pocket pass. He can shoot the catch three from the top of the key and plays with some moxie.    [player_tooltip player_id='1742639' first='Major' last='Wootan'] Desert Ridge   A bench player came in to replace Patterson, when he was in foul trouble, and was a huge asset to the team. He made four catch triples with confidence. He often gives hard ball fakes to try and flinch the defender and will go by and move the ball. But his shooting and toughness on defense keeps him on the court.   [player_tooltip player_id='1193882' first='Greg' last='Bienvenue'] Desert Ridge    A massive post player at 275 pounds mans the middle. He must of gobbled up nearly 10 rebounds. He boxes out with his length, strength and girth and the lefty can score it in the paint. He can get a little more efficient with it, but his presence alone was needed versus QC in the win. Not many more physical players then him.    [player_tooltip player_id='1570934' first='Diego' last='Sarabia'] Queen Creek   A highly skilled post freshman comes off the bench and gives them a scoring punch. He has good hands to catch passes and is a plus rebounder in and out of his area. He is skilled in the paint with good post footwork but will step out and shoot it from elbow and in. He will block shots and rebound in his area.   [player_tooltip player_id='1601785' first='Leyton' last='Steenhard'] Queen Creek   A scoring minded combo guard is deceptively quick. He loves getting into the paint and kicking it to a shooter. He can throw a bullet pass on a rope. He loves the runner and floater and will hit the catch three plus score on blow by layups with either hand. He hit a high level of difficulty three that looked like a 4-pt play but no-call late in the game.   [player_tooltip player_id='1567096' first='Tayson' last='Stosich'] Queen Creek   A legit sharp shooter with size. He has a quick release from the three point line. He scored the first nine points, two off catches from beyond the arc and he stepped into one off the dribble. He has a good sense of awareness and him Steenhard form a talented soph duo.   [player_tooltip player_id='1743210' first='Trmale' last='Tipler'] Queen Creek    A stronger guard with a thicker frame/build. He is clearly the glue guy on the team with loose balls, he rebounds at a high rate for a guard and he seemed to be the guy recovering every 50/50 ball He scores around the cup and he had close to 10 rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id='1743266' first='Grandin' last='Gustafson'] Queen Creek   A decent sized wing sophomore played quality minutes off the bench. He is an active player who plays with a big motor to rebound. He uses his size, desire and length to corral the board. He often found himself on the line with his activity and cashed in. Yet another talented 2025 prospect for the Bulldogs.   [player_tooltip player_id='1127090' first='Andrew' last='Peterson'] Queen Creek    The senior wing forward played a good game throughout. He scores on put backs and he can create his own offense near the basket. He is not afraid to put his head down and get to the rim off the dribble in traffic, as he is more physical than he appears. He efficiently scores on straight line drives with his dominant right hand.   [player_tooltip player_id='1743339' first='Kylend' last='Bloom'] Queen Creek   A taller post player for the AIA controlled the glass most of the night. He runs the floor well and he has soft hands. He is a strong two-handed rebounder in traffic who gets his hands on a lot of balls. He plays hard and dove on the floor for a loose ball. He can add to his range but will score it near the rim.

On Tuesday, January 10th I attended the 6A battle in the east valley of the Desert Ridge Jaguars hosting the Queen Creek Bulldogs.