WPIAL State Semifinalists To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the state tournament nears its conclusion and the saddest day of the year approaches---The day after the last state championship game, when all the jerseys are put away until December-- It's time to look at the teams left standing from the Pitsburgh area and focus on some players to watch the next two days. Who can drive their team to the state finals?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1621402' first='RJ' last='SLEDGE']</strong> | G | Imani Christian</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While the focus of the recruiting stardom has been <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188606' first='Alier' last='Maluk']</strong> and much ado has been made over the scoring potential of fellow backcourt mate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1188604' first='Dame' last='Givner']</strong>, it's Sledge, the swashbuckling ballhandler and lead guard who has become the heartbeat of the Imani team. His ability to run the offense and also run the floor in transition sets the pace and the tone for the Saints high octane offense. Sledge got it done on both ends of the floor vs Farrell. If he sets the tone tonight against the Stanleys and Union, Imani should find itself in the Sweetest Place On Earth on Thursday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Donovan Walker</strong> | G | Aliquippa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After putting on a great all around performance on Saturday in the win over Bishop Canevin, the elite athlete will have to do it once again for Aliquippa to get a seat at the table for the weekend. His athleticism translates well from the football field and he's a rock solid on-ball defender. If he can slow down Otto-Eldred the way he slowed down Champine and continue to hit shots on offense, the 'Quips will be booking a bus trip to the Capitol District. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991410' first='Cameron' last='Lindsey']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cameron-lindsey/"></a> </strong>| F | Aliquippa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other high level football player in the starting 5 on a team of football prospects, the linebacker will have to continue to perform on defense in the semis. He's not a traditional big man, even at a smaller school, but his athletic ability is his calling card. He can move around the paint like a guard and keeps a low center of gravity--He doesn't easily get sucked into head fakes and keeps defenders in front of him. He uses that 200lb muscular frame to crash the boards and clear out opponents for the 'Quips to get rebounds and turn out in transition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991401' first='Brandin' last='Cummings']</strong> | G | Lincoln Park Charter</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cummings and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991408' first='Meleek' last='Thomas']</strong> got the job done in a major battle in the 4A western semifinals against Rodney Gallaher and Laurel Highlands, coming out 69-66 winners. He's an impressive scorer who can break defenders down off the dribble and has a nice smooth jumper. Capel has a good one coming his way in a years time, but right now Cummings and Thomas have to not fall asleep vs an upset minded Uniontown team in order to set up a potential marquee matchup in the state finals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1284794' first='Bryce' last='Robson']</strong> | G | Deer Lakes</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The leader for Deer Lakes for the last two years has continued to impress as the playoffs go on. He led them to the WPIAL title by scoring 18 in the final, crossed 1,000 points and knows how to break down defenders off the dribble and has a nice first step to the hole. Teams have struggled to stop him--Even OLSH, who threw multiple looks, couldn't truly contain him. He'll have to come up big one more time to send "Fear the Deer" to the state final. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->