State Playoff Recap: 5A Semis Standouts

McDowell battled for the Tigers. The senior guard competed and played with a good combination of skill and toughness. He grabbed some loose balls and did a tremendous job of shooting it from behind the arc. He was a big part of the reason why Douglas was able to stay attached, as he finished with four threes in the game.

Yapi was good on both ends of the floor today. The PG caused havoc in the Trailblazers half court press and showed off his skill set by making an array of runners and floaters. Behind his 18 point effort Durango reached the the state championship game.

Shot the ball lights out for the TIgers. The junior sniper was accurate from behind the line, knocking down a plethora of threes. He did his damage, in catch and shoot action, using a quick release to get his shot off over fast closing defenders.

Played his heart out. The senior forward scrapped and battled, grabbing in traffic rebounds for his team. He made a few pull up jumpers, and despite falling to the defending state champions, he showed he can play with anyone in the state.

He’ll be featured in my stockriser report. Already a top 10 player in the class of 2026 he looked like another future D1 big from Liberty. Bright has soft hands, good footwork, and did a terrific job of putting together combination post moves. His ceiling is extremely high as he’s a player I’m going to be watching experience close this summer.

The leader of the Trailblazers helped the team get one step closer. He was his usual tenacious defensive self, using his long arms and quick hands to harass the Tigers ballhanders. He finished with 15 points to help Durango advance.

At times Thomas makes the game look so easy that you forget how good he is. The lefty was his usual poised self, but started the game with an aggressive mindset, scoring 16 in the first half to help the Patriots pull away.

It was another strong performance from Porter who is starting to make his way onto my all show time team. The powerfully built skilled forward just makes plays for his team, evident by his rebounding, dishing and scoring. He benefited from offensive execution and even stepped out and hit the occasional three. He finished with 14 points to help the Patriots to the victory.

Morency showed some good skill and competitive toughness. The guard never gave up, despite facing a big deficit he continued to attack. Knocking down some shots and finishing at the bucket. He finished the game with 15 points to pace the Miners.