Monument Valley/Valley Christian 3A Championship

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Saturday February 25th the <strong>Monument Valley Mustangs</strong> took on the <strong>Valley Christian Trojans</strong> for the 3A Boys State Title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This match started off slow as both teams were trying to find their way. Monument Valley were out to show that they could hang with the defending state champions. Early on the score was tied at 5. The Mustangs hit a groove and built up a 13-9 lead. At the end of the first quarter Monument Valley was up 15-13. With the volume of the Monument Valley fans the lead felt bigger. A 8-2 run to begin the 2nd quarter gave the Trojans a 21-17 lead. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1152187' first='Luke' last='Shaw'] began to heat up leading the way for Valley. The Trojans used a 17-8 2nd quarter to take a 30-23 lead into halftime. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Monument Valley came out in the third quarter battling to stay in the game. They got the lead down to as little as 6 by playing tough defense. By the end of the third the Trojans had gotten the lead up to double digits. 48-38 was the score beginning the fourth quarter. A 9-2 run by Valley Christian opened the game and the lead was now 57-40. Monument Valley went cold in the fourth quarter and couldn't buy a basket. Valley Christian won their second consecutive 3A Boys championship. The final score was <strong>65-44</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here are some of the standout players from this contest. </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1152187' first='Luke' last='Shaw'] <strong>Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The crafty guard is one of the best in the state. He took it upon himself to carry the offensive load when his team needed it. He hit a variety of mid range jumpers, layups at the rim and three pointers. Even though he was the focal point of the defense his release was to quick for defenders. Shaw plays with so much composure that he's like having a coach on the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1230562' first='Albrandon' last='Byjoe'] <strong>Monument Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coming off a 40 point performance the senior guard had all of the attention of the opposing defense. He hit some difficult shots over multiple defenders. Extremely shifty guard who can get shots off in a hurry. The lefty has a nice stroke and is able to create separation very well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1379910' first='Kyle' last='Grier'] <strong>Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore forward is jack of all trades who does whatever the Trojans need on any given day. In this game he took some of the scoring pressure off of Shaw by hitting three's and getting to the rim. He was also excellent on the boards as he has knack for tracking the ball as it's coming off of the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Roberto Flores SG 5'11 2023</strong> <strong>Monument Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like the rest of his teammates Flores struggled to shoot from the perimeter but it didn't lessen his effort. He played tough on the ball defense and contributed on the boards. He's a good distributor as he looked to draw defenders and find the open man. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='1379909' first='Carson' last='Grier'] <strong>Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A point forward who is among the better passers in the state in his class. His height enabled him to easily see over the defenders while surveying the floor. A high IQ player that isn't going to try to do things that he's not capable of. I expect a big jump from him next year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1194266' first='Austin' last='Wallace'] <strong>Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another versatile wing player Wallace is the type of player that could fit into any system. He understands floor spacing and moves the ball well on offense as a passer. As a shooter he has range that extends out to the three point line. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->