Final-4 of 4A: Deer Valley vs Mesquite

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Monday, February 24th I watched the Final-4 of 4A at Mesquite HS in Gilbert, AZ as the #4 <strong>Mesquite Wildcats</strong> hosted the #8 <strong>Deer Valley Skyhawks.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some quick notes on the game I jotted down:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was 15-13 after the 1st quarter with a Mesquite lead.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Deer Valley went on a 10-2 run to give them a 23-18 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some extra rebounds for DV is one main thing that stood out in the 1st half.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>34-28 Mesquite led with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2282502' first='Jamar' last='Trotter']</strong> once again was in the right place and scored it before the half. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3rd and 4th quarter went back and forth. Neither team had more than a 6 point lead at any one point. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was 52-all with 6:10 left to play then 57-55 w 4:10 to play. [player_tooltip player_id='814517' first='Cohen' last='J Gonzales'] started hitting big shots but so did the DV team. It was 61-55 Mesquite lead with 3:15 to play. [player_tooltip player_id='1674458' first='Travis' last='Vasquez'] circus shot with 3:05 cut the gap. 61-57 Mesquite lead. [player_tooltip player_id='937199' first='Jayden' last='Sleeper'] hit a clutch 3 to give DV a 62-61 lead with a 5-0 run.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cohen J FT 62-62 w 1:14 left.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long rebound became a run out and [player_tooltip player_id='814517' first='Cohen' last='J Gonzales'] passes it to [player_tooltip player_id='1482164' first='Desean' last='Middlebrook'] for two FT's w 52 secs left. (He got injured and <strong>Michael Calvin</strong> had to shoot them). He made both so it was 65-62 w 52 secs to play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='937199' first='Jayden' last='Sleeper'] hits another 3 to tie it at 65 with 35 secs to play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1216999' first='Jaylen' last='Wollangk'] gets fouled w 4.7 secs to play. Makes 1st (after a DV lane violation) but misses second and [player_tooltip player_id='831129' first='Eric' last='Perkins'] grabs the rebound and races down the end of the court and dimes [player_tooltip player_id='1674458' first='Travis' last='Vasquez'] to score on a layup as time expires to win <strong>67-66</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was my personal best game I viewed all year long so far.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Here were the standouts&nbsp;</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1674458' first='Travis' last='Vasquez'] Deer Valley</strong> <strong>(Pictured left)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard can rip thru and score off the dribble. He can hit the three off the bounce or catch. He has some toughness to rebound and is gaining confidence as the season has worn on. He puts some pressure on the defense trying to get to the rim. He scored 11 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='937199' first='Jayden' last='Sleeper'] Deer Valley</strong> <strong>(Pictured right)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An undersized scoring point guard is fearless and tough. He is a fierce on-ball defender and fights hard to get downhill despite his size. Offensively he can hit off balanced shot in traffic, back door layups, he uses ball fakes and can blow-by his defenders for buckets. He hit some huge contested three point shots all night long and scored a team high 19 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831129' first='Eric' last='Perkins'] Deer Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An attacking guard scored on reverse layups as he tries to get downhill often with bursts into to the lane. He can score on floaters and moves the ball well. He made a huge play with a rebound and threw a perfect pass to Vasquez for the game winning layup at the buzzer.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1674461' first='Jonah' last='Altimirano'] Deer Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard with toughness, shift and skill. He can hit shots from all levels. He likes the mid-range pull-up off the dribble and can rattle off triples in bunches. 13 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1032531' first='Jaydon' last='S Cameron'] Deer Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A talented scoring guard can hit the catch three once he sets his feet. He has pretty form and it gets out of his hands quickly. He can score on put backs but he is looking to launch it from deep. He scored 14 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='814517' first='Cohen' last='J Gonzales'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A walking bucket had an incredible career in Gilbert for the Wildcats. He scores on finger rolls, pull-ups from mid-range, step backs off the dribble with deep three point range and is a transition star with unmatched speed. He has very quick feet to defend and with quick hands to collect steals. He scored 24 points with four steals. He told me he is deciding among many schools where he will play next year in college.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1216999' first='Jaylen' last='Wollangk'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A defensive point guard with strong hands and upper body strength. He moves well to stay with his opponents and will rip the pockets to grab the ball cleanly. He can score on blow-by drives and tries to set up his teammates on a consistent basis. He had five assists and scored four points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1822527' first='Devone' last='Pless'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing forward with great size has grown nearly three inches this year. He is pushing 6'6 and has a long reach to catch a pass and score. He has a smooth gait and comes with skill. He can shoot it from mid-range off the the dribble and rise up from the three. He also is a sneaky good passer and will drive and kick for assists. Defensively he rebounds in his area and will block shots.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1482164' first='Desean' last='Middlebrook'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long wing forward with strong hands and a high IQ. He is very tough to rebound inside versus bigger players. He scores on transition layups and has multiple post moves and has counter moves to score in the paint. He can shoot it from mid-range off the catch and rip thru with layups in heavy traffic. He scored 16 points and had 5+ rebounds.    </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2282502' first='Jamar' last='Trotter'] PF 6'2 2024 Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A high motored power forward plays the right way. He will fight inside to board and keeps working to grab rebounds and fights for position to score it near the basket. He catches tough passes or balls off the glass to keep extra possessions alive.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->