Coolidge at ALA-Ironwood: Varsity Standouts

On Friday, February 3rd I attended the 3A game with the ALA-Ironwood Warriors hosting the 3A Coolidge Bears.   The Bears controlled the game the first three quarters with 15-10 after one, 21-15 at halftime and 27-22 after the third quarter but the fourth quarter was a different story.   ALA-IW went on a 12-2 run to start off in the 4th and actually led 34-29. [player_tooltip player_id='1150847' first='Carlos' last='Coronado Jr'] hit a 3 and [player_tooltip player_id='1183310' first='Corey' last='Wood'] hit a runner to make it a 36-32 lead for the Warriors. But then the Bears ended on a 7-0 run. Dru Madrid hit a 3, [player_tooltip player_id='937184' first='Brayden' last='Gant'] a driving layup and they hit two FT's to lead 39-36. ALA-IW had one last attempt at the buzzer but fell short. Here was the play.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/GreggRosenberg1/status/1621724467373441030 </div></figure>   <h2>Here were the Varsity standouts</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='937184' first='Brayden' last='Gant'] Coolidge   A versatile wing forward showed off his talents in the game. A true triple threat is becoming more of a complete player for the smaller school. He has a polished pull-up from mid-range, a runner in the lane and is creating his own shot. He handles the ball a lot more this season and looks to set up his teammates and has become a better passer as he is morphing into a point forward. He also had 11 rebounds and three blocks showing his defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1150847' first='Carlos' last='Coronado Jr'] Coolidge   A point guard with a shifty handle to get past his defender. He gets the ball out of his hands quickly and darts it to his teammates. He uses his length in the passing lanes to collect steals and then is usually looking up to dime his players effortlessly. He didn't score a lot on the night, as he was in foul trouble but hit a clutch deep three with 1:30 left to play in the game.     Dru Madrid CG 6'1 2023 Coolidge   A combo guard who is very skilled and cerebral. He is a little skinny but is definitely the teams shooter. Has some shift to his handle and can pull-up from mid-range off the dribble. He can rattle off triples once he gets rolling and he has quicker hands to collect steals.   [player_tooltip player_id='1305184' first='Ja'kwon' last='Jordan'] Coolidge   A big time high-motored wing forward. He is a fluid mover and defends multiple positions for the Bears. He is a rebound machine as he uses his incredible motor and a quick second and third jumping to rebound at a very high level. He will dive on the floor to get a loose ball or rebound. He is very effective close to the basket and uses his long arms to get over the top of the post defenders. He has a mid-range jumper and can euro step his way to the basket. He had a game high of 14 rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id='1124721' first='Tony' last='Willis'] ALA-Ironwood   The Warriors senior leading guard is Willis. He handles a majority of the teams ball handling duties and guides the offense. He has the floater game and can catch and shoot from the three point line, albeit a little streaky, but is tough and competitive. He is very good on the ball defensively.   [player_tooltip player_id='1183310' first='Corey' last='Wood'] ALA-Ironwood   A bigger wing forward was the bright spot offensively in a low scoring contest. He had 18 points with three from downtown. He hits them off the catch with a fast trigger. He can euro step in the lane to score plus from the high post. This is where he seems to feel most comfortable. He will get on the glass with offensive rebound put backs. He is starting to get in-traffic rebounds and took a charge showing more grit than last year. He is lean but will rebound and block shots in the paint and he has some hops as well.   [player_tooltip player_id='1782224' first='Jackson' last='Chapman'] ALA-Ironwood   A scoring combo guard handles some of the lead guard duties when it's not in Willis hands. He has a sneaky quick first step to get into the lane and can finish off tougher layups. He takes contact fairly well and can euro his way to the rim for tough shots in the lane. He is good in transition and plays with some toughness. He was the team's second leading scorer on the night and he may be the go-to scorer next year.   Chad Coplin SF 6'4 2024 ALA-Ironwood   One of the two non senior starters who is a long and skinny wing forward. He can create a little for himself and runs the court well. He scored on a layup in traffic and played with energy. He should be the one of the team's leaders next year.   Isaviah Duval PF 6'6 2023 ALA-Ironwood   A strong post player with length. The lefty is another that is fairly new to the game. He grabs rebounds in and out of his area and scores around the basket with layups. He brings energy as a post defender and keeps extra possessions for the Warriors.

On Friday, February 3rd I attended the 3A game with the ALA-Ironwood Warriors hosting the 3A Coolidge Bears.