OPEN Final-4: Perry vs Desert Mountain

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Friday, February 24th I watched the OPEN Final-4 at Highland HS in Gilbert, AZ.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We all expected #1 Perry to be here but #13 Desert Mountain exceeded expectations led by the dynamic freshman duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1150823' first='Kalek' last='House'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1150824' first='Kaden' last='House'].&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perry ended up winning <strong>64-50</strong> but the respect was earned on the other side of the court. It was actually tied at halftime and under 10 points most of the game. It was 56-45 after a [player_tooltip player_id='1129193' first='Koa' last='Peat'] poster dunk with 1:33 to play that really separated them. The Wolves fought all game long. The rebound battle definitely played a big factor in the Pumas victory.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Here were the Final-4 standouts&nbsp;</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1129193' first='Koa' last='Peat'] Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5 Star showed why he is just that. He was simply too big, too strong and too skilled for the Wolves. He scores thru contact with either hand, he will do a quick rip thru, multiple offensive rebound put backs and fade-aways in the post. He impressed me with his defense. He defends at a high level on the perimeter and uses his thicker body/frame to keep opponents in front of him. He will gobble up all rebounds and block some shots. He finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and a few assists.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831114' first='Cody' last='Williams'] Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The McDonald's All-American had his strong moments as well. He hits his patented deep catch three point shots, he gets buckets inside while he's taking long strides using his size to his advantage, he has floaters and will rise up from mid-range heavily contested shooting over the top of the defenders. Defensively he guards multiple positions and rebounds, block shots and makes plays like a big guard. He scored 14 points while filling the stat sheet.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='996172' first='D'Andre' last='Harrison'] Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled forward plays both spots up front and has stick em on his hands to rebound everything in his area. He likes it from the elbow but extends out easily to the three point line. He is a good passer and will defend inside and out on the perimeter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='814513' first='Ben' last='Egbo'] Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their defensive wing had a nice night for himself. He scored 9 points with a catch three and multiple buckets in transition or put backs. He is quick second jumper who gets off the floor easily to board.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150848' first='Nolan' last='Brown'] Perry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sixth man of the team made some really important plays off the bench. He is undersized but he is a pest on the ball defensively. He has very quick hands and feet to stay with opponents and can rip some pockets. He changes the game with his faster change of pace and he is starting to make more shots. He can hit the catch three and will outrace the entire team for layups. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150824' first='Kaden' last='House'] Desert Mountain&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top freshman in the state backed it up with 20 points. He has impressive defensive instincts and will sit down and defend. He creates a lot of his own offense and gains separation very quickly. His step back is nearly impossible to defend and it is already a college move. He had one super quick dunk in traffic and rebounds the ball at a high level for a guard with a huge motor to compete.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150823' first='Kalek' last='House'] Desert Mountain</strong> <strong>(Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kalek has had a great year for himself as well. He plays more of a facilitating role for the team but can definitely score it himself. He is tough getting downhill and is a quick second jumper for put backs. He can pull-up from mid-range off the dribble plus hit the three off the bounce or catch. He will often drive and kick it and he is very good on defense. He talks a lot on defense setting up his teammates and he contests every jump shot plus will steal the ball. He scored 14 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='831128' first='Ryan' last='Ginsberg'] Desert Mountain&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ginsberg handles a lot of the ball pressure when the House twins don't have the ball. He brings that veteran presence to the court and calming feel. He can blow by his defenders for layups and had a good four year career for the Wolves. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819714' first='Reid' last='Neuhausen'] Desert Mountain&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A new one for me is a quick lefty point guard. He has a deceptively quick burst to get past his defenders and can finish off with euro steps. He also has a deep three point stroke and is a very good free throw shooter. He was third on the team in points scored with seven.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->