Final-4 of 2A: Highland Prep vs Phoenix Christian

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Friday, February 24th I watched the 2A Final-4 at the Arizona Veteran's Memorial Coliseum in Phx, AZ.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was #8<strong> Highland Prep </strong>versus #4 <strong>Phoenix Christian.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Highland Prep won <strong>60-45</strong>. They essentially led from start to finish led by their junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1336434' first='Presley' last='Ibeh']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Here were some of the Final-4 Standouts</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1336434' first='Presley' last='Ibeh'] Highland Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The star of the night was Ibeh. He is a quick-twitched, strong athlete with incredible speed in the open court. His transition game is tough to defend and will catch a lob dunk almost each game. He is starting to evolve as more of a shooter. He can hit from mid to the three point line more consistently now. He rebounds the ball at a high level, he will collect steals and take charges. He had a game high of 23 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1494765' first='Tarrell' last='Green Jr'] Highland Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top athletic forwards in the class. He springs up quickly to flush it down impressively or will block shots. The lefty is a fluid mover and covers in space or inside versus bigger players. He will be a big part of their season next year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1336436' first='Kohen' last='Hill'] Highland Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled pure point guard who always moves the ball to the open man. He keeps the game simple and although he didn't score a lot in this game, he orchestrated the offense perfectly. He does have a sneaky quick burst to get into the lane to score and can shoot it from mid-range.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Darius McKnight CG 6'0 2024 Highland Prep</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker guard who can get downhill and can score thru contact. He understands how to change speeds and get to the basket to score or get fouled. He hustles for loose balls to rebound for extra possessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Niko Bey SG 5'11 2024 Highland Prep&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true ball hawk defender slowed down Randolph about as well as you can. He and one other guard shared the duties but he was the main defender. He has quick hands and feet and just made him feel a little uncomfortable then usual.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1305181' first='Tommy' last='Randolph'] Phoenix Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An attacking point guard with an incredible build and strength to get downhill. He puts so much pressure on the opponents keeping him out of the paint. He can dunk the ball easily on the break and has quick hands on defense to play the passing lanes. He has a good burst into the lane and is very patient inside to score. He sees the court better then he did a year ago. He was unfortunately in foul trouble all game long and fouled out in the 4th quarter. In limited action he scored 14 points with many assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231502' first='Bryce' last='Anderson'] Phoenix Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wildly athletic forward springs up to rebound and block shots. He kept them close all game long with his defense inside and his shooting. He had one impressive dunk in the lane and he can rip thru. He glides around on the break and had a team high 17 points.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1746741' first='Colin' last='Cajthaml'] Phoenix Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A skilled face-up forward can shoot it from mid to the three point line off the catch. He can make plays for his teammates with pinpoint passing and rebounds well. He has a cerebral approach to the game and had a great career for the Cougars.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->