2023 Coronado Classic: Day 1 and Day 2 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Day One</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1276352' first='Mason' last='Howell'] - Class of 2025 - Center - Sandia High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Howell was a force underneath for the Matadors, establishing dominance in the paint early. The leading scorer in Sandia's thrashing of the New Mexico rebels, ending in a score of 69-31, Howell ended with 12 points on 6/10 from the field, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists, though his impact on the court stretched beyond the stat sheet. Defensively, Howell impacted any shot that came through the paint, ending the game with 3 blocks and many more forced misses. He should look to continue to assert his presence underneath as the tournament progresses.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2172947' first='Jahmil' last='Crayton-Johnson'] - Class of 2024 - Guard - Sandia High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A large part of Sandia's 18-point run to begin the game was Crayton-Johnson's defense, creating fast break opportunities for the Matadors to capitalize on. He ended the game with 7 points and a team-high 6 steals, along with 3 assists. Though he struggled shooting the ball this game, it can be chalked up to a rough night, as he should continue to look for his spots and shoot freely. He will continue to anchor Sandia's backcourt defensively as they lose 4 of their 5 starters from last year. A strong showing from Crayton-Johnson, as he makes a solid case to be Sandia's starting point guard going into next season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717247' first='Brayden' last='Giron'] - Class of 2026 - Forward - Hope Christian High School</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Easily the best individual performance of the day came from the 6'5” stretch forward. In Hope's 56-40 win over Flight Force, Giron had 25 points on an extraordinarily efficient 9/12 from the field, and 6/8 from 3-point range. Tagging on 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks, Giron was everywhere, defensively and offensively. Only a freshman going into his sophomore season, he has the potential to become great for the Huskies. His role will only grow from here, and he'll continue to be an offensive threat from anywhere on the court.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Day Two</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1295236' first='Raul' last='Stanford'] - Class of 2024 - Guard - SAHQ</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a rough first half against Valley High School, Stanford quickly turned into around in the 2nd half, providing SAHQ with the energy boost needed to push past the Vikings in their 48-42 win. Easily one of the best rebounding point guards I've seen, Stanford put up a stat line of 12 points, a team-high 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. He seemed to fly around the court as he affected the game in every aspect, hitting two clutch 3-pointers in the last 4 minutes and cleaning up on the defensive end to protect their lead, and cap off a great comeback by SAHQ in the 2nd half. Stanford is the starting point guard for Highland High School, and will continue to bring his experience and discipline to this SAHQ team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"justify"} --> <p class="has-text-align-justify"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687821' first='Jesus' last='Licon'] - Class of 2025 - Guard - SAHQ</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Licon came started the game hot and finished it the same way. Shooting the lights out from 3-point range, Licon finished with a team-high 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, shooting 4/9 from 3-point range and shooting 100% from the free-throw line. He not only took care of business of the offensive end, he affected many possessions on defense, giving the Valley guards trouble anytime they drove to the basket, creating turnover after turnover. A strong combo guard, Licon will be a big piece for Highland High School as they seek to return to the top of the 4A standings in the upcoming 2023-24 season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1679998' first='Brandon' last='Bartlett'] - Class of 2024 - Forward - ABC Heat</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ABC Heat put on an absolute show against the New Mexico Ball Stars, squashing them 88-14. While no one player was the star of the show, Bartlett's performance stood out with an insane double-double, putting up 25 points and a whopping 15 rebounds. His tenacity on the boards defined his playstyle in this game, and though he really is a position-less player, Bartlett anchored the paint for this ABC team, showcasing a wide variety of skills on the offensive end, and an ability to guard all positions on defense. ABC has one of the best chances of any to win the entire tournament, and Bartlett will be a big part of their success moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->