Elite-8 OPEN Playoffs: NDP at Basha

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday, February 18th I attended the Elite-8 OPEN Playoff game with the #14 <strong>Notre Dame Prep Saints</strong> at the #11<strong> Basha Bears</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='996764' first='Brennan' last='Peterson'] started on fire and NDP led 14-12 after the 1st quarter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1323290' first='Mason' last='Magee'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1131992' first='Sam' last='Zanoni'] started making shots and Bahsha led 31-27 at halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 3rd quarter belonged to the Saints with a 7-0 run led by [player_tooltip player_id='996764' first='Brennan' last='Peterson'] again. [player_tooltip player_id='1323290' first='Mason' last='Magee'] closed the gap with a steal and a dunk for a 44-41 NDP lead heading into the 4th quarter. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 4th quarter got very interesting. The game went back and forth and was knotted at 58 with with two minutes to play.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1323290' first='Mason' last='Magee'] found <strong>Tyler Lally </strong>for a 3 to go up 61-58 with 1:44 to play and then he corralled a rebound for a foul and made one to lead 62-58. [player_tooltip player_id='996176' first='Bryce' last='Quinet'] made two FT's to cut it at 62-60 with 59 seconds to play but then the Saints needed a stop and the Bears actually missed but [player_tooltip player_id='1490241' first='Elijah' last='Summers-Livingston'] grabbed the offensive rebound and put it back to score to essentially ice the game at 64-60 with 26 seconds to play. Summers-Livingston actually dunked it right near the end of the game to give Basha a <strong>68-60 </strong>win to advance to the Final-4 of the OPEN Playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Basha will take on Sunnyslope Friday at Apollo HS for a chance to go to the inaugural OPEN Playoff Final. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were the Elite-8 OPEN Playoff standouts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1323290' first='Mason' last='Magee'] <strong>Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top freshman in the state had that look from the start that this was going to be his game. He has incredible speed and a blazing first step to get past his defenders and blow by to score layups in traffic. He actually had multiple and-1's to kick start his night. His ability to get into tight spaces with his handle separates him from most and he is a pit bull defender. He also showed he is improving his shooting with a three and even threw down two dunks on the break. Unofficially he scored 24 points with multiple assists and steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1490241' first='Elijah' last='Summers-Livingston']<strong> Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and athletic freshman power forward gobbles up all rebounds in his area with his go-go gadget arms. He blocks or alters many shots and collects steals with his wingspan. He didn't score a lot but made one of the most important put backs of the game. He went for 6 pts with 8+ rebounds and multiple blocks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1120889' first='Torin' last='Bosch'] <strong>Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical wing forward with skill. He can score it a variety of ways with the floater game, he can rip thru to score or get to the free throw line plus will get on the offensive glass for put backs. He scored 15 points and 6+ rebounds.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1131992' first='Sam' last='Zanoni'] <strong>Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6th man of the team had a phenomenal night. He can score it with driving layups per usual but showed his skill off versus NDP. He has a pretty stroke from the three point line and he actually made three of them. He handles contact well and he rebounds at a good clip. His on-ball defense has steadily improved each season. He scored 13 points with 6+ rebounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyler Lally F 6'3 2023 Basha</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A study framed forward had a good night. A senior starter brought his experience to the court. He grabs out of area rebounds and made a clutch three off the catch from a [player_tooltip player_id='1323290' first='Mason' last='Magee'] pass under 2 mins. He scored 8 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='996764' first='Brennan' last='Peterson']<strong> Notre Dame Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the best sophomore shooters in the state from the AIA. He has an ultra quick release to the three point line. He has the floater and runner in his bag but he also sees the court well. He can slither a pass into traffic and make his teammates better. He scored 21 points with 5 triples.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='996176' first='Bryce' last='Quinet'] <strong>Notre Dame Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong and cerebral point guard with high skill. He has a shifty handle and consistently changes speeds. He will give a shot fake and get to the basket. He has a polished runner in heavy traffic and comes with deep range on his three point shot. He seems to almost seek the contact and uses his stronger base to score on isos. He also a very good rebounder for his position. He scored 18 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1123040' first='Anthony' last='Batson Jr'] <strong>Notre Dame Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An athletic marvel is a long defensive wing. He is very hard to score on using his long wingspan and athleticism. He plays the passing lanes and once he gets a step on the break he will dunk it way above the rim. He blocks shots in and out of his area and will straight line drive to get himself to the line. He is a very good passer and will take charges. He went 8-12 from the FT line and scored 12 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1194267' first='Mitchell' last='Perkins']<strong> Notre Dame Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A burly power forward with broad shoulders and real strength. He gains position to rebound and will score it inside on layups. He is the sole post presence and brings his hard hat to every game.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1491233' first='Will' last='Feagles'] <strong>Notre Dame Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other starter did a few glue things to help the Saints all night long. He grabbed rebounds out of his area and even picked a pocket and raced down the court for a bucket. He is normally one of their sharp shooters but showed a different side of his game. He also looked an inch taller with long arms.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->