Ten Best: Fairfax vs. Birmingham

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PASADENA - Pasadena City College hosted the Los Angeles City Section Open Division semifinals Saturday and we were in attendance for both of the boys basketball games. In the second game, Fairfax defeated Birmingham, 58-48, to advance to the CIFLACS Open Division championship game. In this piece we name our Ten Best performers from each team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Best Scorers</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='992482' first='Darius' last='Carr'], Fairfax -</strong> Carr is a dynamic open court and half-court scorer who can fill up the scoring column in a variety of ways. The 6-foot-4 wing has deep three-point shooting ability off the dribble and off the catch but is best when slashing his way to the basket in transition or half-court offense. Carr is both physically strong and explosive athletically which makes him a guy who is difficult for high school defenders in front of him. Carr finished with a game-high 22 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Naseef Lubowa, Birmingham -</strong> Lubowa did most of his damage from the free throw line and he got there by using his athleticism and physicality to get by defenders and draw contact to get to the charity stripe. The 6-foot-2 junior wing scored a team-high 16 points and knocked down 12 of his 14 free throw shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Best Playmakers</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1502820' first='David' last='Mack'], Fairfax - </strong>Not only did Mack pitch in 17 points for the Lions but he was the trigger man for most of Fairfax's offensive possessions. The 5-foot-8 point guard is a high IQ decision-maker who knows when to push the pace but can also recognize the situations where he needs to back the ball out and run offense. Mack is an unselfish playmaker who looks to spread the ball around to his teammates.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyson Jackson, Birmingham - </strong>Like [player_tooltip player_id='1502820' first='David' last='Mack'] for Fairfax, Jackson really makes it all go for the Patriots on offense. The 5-foot-11 senior plays with great pace in transition, had his eyes up the floor looking to advance the ball and showed off his scoring IQ by not forcing bad shots. What stood out most about Jackson was his ability to make big plays down the stretch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Best Defenders</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nile Ebi, Fairfax -</strong> Ebi is a jumping jack of an athlete with really good length and timing when contesting shots around the basket. In addition to his rim protection, the 6-foot-4 junior showed the ability to hard hedge and recover in ball screen action or switch onto a guard and contain with his length and lateral speed.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyson Jackson, Birmingham -</strong> Jackson showed his ability to be a disruptive on-ball defender with his combination of toughness, physicality and speed. His mix of athletic traits to go along with his strong, stout frame, allows him to close the space of an offensive player and keep them in front of him while speeding them up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Best Shooters</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1436341' first='Donald' last='Bluitt'], Fairfax - </strong>Bluitt knocked down a couple of catch and shoot three-pointers but it was his mid-range shooting ability that stood out the most in Fairfax's win. The 5-foot-11 senior made a couple of tough, contested jumpers off the dribble and those came in important points in the game where the Lions needed a bucket to stop some Birmingham momentum.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caleb Newton, Birmingham -</strong> Newton is one of the best freshmen in Southern California and his calling card as a prospect, at this point in his development, is his ability to make perimeter jumpers. Newton is a smooth shooter off the catch and off the bounce and gets great elevation on his shot which makes it hard to close out on him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Best Glue Guys</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Romello McRae, Fairfax -</strong> A lot of McRae's impact on the game will not show up in the stat sheet but when you watch him play you can easily see how he leaves his stamp on the game. The 6-foot-3 forward is a versatile defender, active rebounder on both ends of the floor and just plays the game with great energy and the willingness to be first to the floor for loose balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='994910' first='Kory' last='Blunt'], Birmingham - </strong>Blunt does a little bit of everything for Birmingham. The 6-foot-3 off-guard can knock down open shots, create looks for teammates with drive-and-kick opportunities, and defends with good energy and a high basketball IQ. Blunt's size, length, vision and willingness to make plays for teammates is what makes the Patriots tough to guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->