Top Games To Watch To Start The New Year

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wednesday 01/04/23</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vista Peak 8-2 Vs Dakota Ridge 6-2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An early intriguing game of the week is against two teams that are well balanced on the offensive end. Vista Peak is a tall team that are able to alter shots in the paint and like to get out on the break. [player_tooltip player_id='1577963' first='Carson' last='Mcdonald'] is a tall athletic player that can spread the court as well as get boards on the inside. When the Bison get on the same page they can catch fire very quickly as they are all able to get to the rim and finish. The Eagles have guards who are quick and can extend on the press being pest to the opposing team. In the half court the Eagles like to look for the 3 ball and [player_tooltip player_id='1622363' first='Steffen' last='Schattinger'] is leading his team in 3 point percentage. It will be an interesting matchup as the Bison defense is full of longer defenders, will look for the Eagles to push the ball and try to get buckets in transition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boulder 4-2 vs rock canyon 9-1</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rock canyon is a well-balanced team and has been playing great basketball this month. They have been playing lights out lately. They recently played in a tournament in Arizona and showed how good their 2-3 matchup zone could be. [player_tooltip player_id='1577994' first='Gavin' last='Hershberger'] gets everyone involved in the half-court offense and the Jaguars are quick to kick it to the open man. The Panthers are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1578032' first='Kyle' last='Blauch'] who is a great midrange player and will need to find that gaps in the Jaguars defense to open it up for other players. This will be a big test for the Panther who started the season off strong behind Blauch play, will have to show that they can compete against the top end teams. I see this being a low scoring game with both teams being better in the half court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thursday 01/05/2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lewis-Palmer vs Mesa Ridge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Rangers are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1577986' first='Eli' last='Robinson'] who is an all-around player. Robinson is basically automatic in the post and can stretch the floor as well. He is a great defender and makes it difficult on the offense swatting away shots and playing the passing lane getting steals. The Rangers will lean heavy on Robinson when they take on the Grizzlies who are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1318379' first='Tevin' last='Riehl'] who can stretch the defense with his ability to shoot deep threes. He is shooting 45% from three and is knocking down his free throws at 82%. Should be a defensive slug fest with these two well balanced teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Saturday 01/07/2023</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mountain Vista vs Eaglecrest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A rematch from an earlier game where the Raptors led by 12 at half and the Golden Eagles came back to win, playing excellent defense coming out of half holding the Raptors to only 9 points in the 3^rd. [player_tooltip player_id='1284559' first='Caden' last='Stevens'] is a defensive force for the Golden Eagles. Had had a double-double in the last game to go with 3 blocks and 2 steals. [player_tooltip player_id='1369808' first='LaDavian' last='King'] is the scoring leader for the Raptors, King had 30 points in the last outing and will need to have a strong start to give the Raptors the edge. This should be a fast paced game with both teams liking to get out and push the ball in transition, both are good at finishing at the rim as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->