Friday’s Best Scorers at Section 7
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Section 7, arguably the best high school event of the year, kicked off on Friday morning as hundreds of the best high schools from around the country descended on Glendale, Arizona for this terrific chance to measure themselves against the…
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Continue ReadingSection 7, arguably the best high school event of the year, kicked off on Friday morning as hundreds of the best high schools from around the country descended on Glendale, Arizona for this terrific chance to measure themselves against the best of the best. Florida is represented by Columbus and the Boozer twins, Idaho by 5A powerhouse Owyhee, Utah by last year’s 6A State Champion Corner Canyon, and California by the likes of Corona Centennial and many others.
Tounde played with his typical strength on Friday, imposing his will on almost any defender that stood in his path. He scored at all three levels, showed good touch inside, and was particularly adept at drawing contact to get to the free throw line. He rebounds well and his wide, strong, build is a large reason for that — his body also enables him to be a versatile defender, one who is especially effective in the post.
Cameron wasted no time getting going on Friday night as he scored 6 quick points in the first few minutes of the game propelling Columbus to their eventual wire-to-wire win over De La Salle. Even in the 1st quarter alone Boozer showed off the wide variety of tricks he already has in his bag including a post catch leading to an easy fadeaway, a face-up move ending in a reverse lay-up, and a between the legs dribble move culminating in a smooth mid range jumper. He impacts the game so often at both ends with his length and ever growing skill that it’s no mystery why he’s one of the most sought after players in the nation.
Brayden continued his great “live” period and summer with a strong performance against Coronado on Friday night in Roosevelt’s easy victory. He impressed fans and college coaches alike with his finishing ability on the interior, thanks to above average body control, midrange shooting ability, and aggressiveness attacking closeouts. Burries is a pure scorer and likely one of the better ones in his class on the West Coast.
Brody erupted against Corona Centennial on Friday afternoon, scoring repeatedly and efficiently against every defender the Huskies threw at him. He didn’t just hurt Centennial in one area of the floor either — Kozlowski varied his attacks on the Husky defense, scoring at all 3 levels, which made him even that much more difficult to stop. Brody showcased a smooth shooting stroke, good touch on the interior, and an ever improving post up game.
Darnez stayed hot after his strong Cali Live performance last weekend and excelled on Friday night in Roosevelt’s ho-hum win over Coronado on Friday night. Slater expertly moves without the ball, but also does well as a primary playmaker, evidenced by him leading Roosevelt in scoring each of the last 3 years. He shoots the ball well from all over the floor and his quick release allows him to get a shot off quickly off the dribble in addition to off the catch. Darnez also looked very good in the open court tonight as he finished with a couple of dunks and both left and right handed layups.
Cayden put in a seemingly effortless performance on Friday night in an easy win for Columbus over De La Salle and still managed to have complete control over the game on both offense and defense. He had countless steals/deflections that resulted in turnovers and easy baskets as well as defensive rebounds that enabled him to push the ball down the court to create even more easy opportunities. Boozer has a great feel for the game and coupled with his vision he is one of the premier playmakers in his class.
Elzie took off in the second half on Friday night in a tough win over Owyhee to secure a birth in the next round of the SLAM bracket and set up a matchup with Desert Mountain on Saturday morning. He particularly thrived in the mid-range and in the paint in this one as he exploited the drop back pick n’ roll coverage of Owyhee whose bigs couldn’t handle Harrington’s change of pace quickness by the end of the game. Elzie has great touch on his jumper and around the basket which combined with his plus length makes him very difficult to bother in the painted area.