Chaparral at Casteel: Varsity Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Monday December 11th I attended the 5A matchup of the&nbsp;<strong>Chaparral Firebirds</strong>&nbsp;traveling to Queen Creek to take on the&nbsp;<strong>Casteel Colts</strong>.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first half of the game was very competitive with a 28-26 Chaparral lead at halftime.<strong> </strong>Casteel started pulling away in the 3rd quarter with multiple turnovers and the Colts held on in the 4th and won <strong>57-42.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the Varsity Standouts:</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1674511' first='Kaelum' last='Brown'] Casteel (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A physical power forward was the man of the game. He had a rare double double with 13 point and 11 rebounds. He has a great motor to rebound and is more athletic then you realize. He scores thru contact with his strong upper body strength and can crab dribble to the basket. He cashed in on his free throws and he is a very good help side defender to block shots. He is also a good passer out of the double team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1128463' first='Aidan' last='Schmidt'] Casteel&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward led the team in scoring. He scores it with quick drives thru contact or gets fouled. His post footwork is next level stuff with multiple counter moves and will often get the and-1. He is good in transition and cuts when he should. He is relentless inside to score or rebound despite being a little undersized.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1369213' first='Amare' last='King'] Casteel&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An all-around combo guard showed a little bit of everything. He scores on off the dribble threes, jump hook shots when he posts up, he can dunk it on the break and his handle is very elusive to create immediate separation from his defenders. His crossover is tough to defend and he grabs rough rebounds and will even block shots off the glass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1500831' first='Ryan' last='Zeidner'] Casteel&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring guard can post up to get himself to the free throw line. He will step into a three and can rattle them in when left open. He can dribble drive to the basket with a decent handle.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1950118' first='Jeremiah' last='Robertson'] Casteel&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lengthy attacking power forward. He is a phenomenal rebounder out of his area. He moves his feet well in space to defend. He uses his length in the passing lanes and he is a sneaky good passer. He will score on put backs and had one incredible alley oop dunk.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nico Bojorqeuz PG 5'8 2025 Casteel&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring lead guard who can fill it up with pull-ups from mid-range off the dribble. He is deceptively quick with a tight handle to create some separation and rises up. He has quick hands to collect steals.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1193881' first='Nic' last='Corbo'] Chaparral</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard who played point guard tonight and made a lot of great passes. The southpaw has deep three point range and uses a burst to get downhill and can create some contact. He plays hard regardless of the score. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2295756' first='Blake' last='Stevens'] Chaparral</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The specialist of the team is always in catch mode and ready to launch. He has a clean stroke and will score off back doors, runners and deep triples. He rebounds well for his size. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2295766' first='Connor' last='Honig'] Chaparral</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A thicker framed wing forward with decent size and skill. He can hit the catch three with high release. He will score on cuts for the deuce and will rebound well with his thicker frame.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1500850' first='Joaquin' last='Carter'] Chaparral</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing who grew a little and had a good showing off the bench. He scored on floaters with his left hand driving the lane and got out in transition. He can score on hook shots and his motor was hot in the game. He dove on the floor for steals, played the passing lanes for deflections and had great activity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2295697' first='Chase' last='Swenson'] Chaparral&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A freshman point guard played some decent minutes on varsity with their starter and usual backup PG not available. He has a good handle and can handle the heavy ball pressure. He is a next level passer and should lead them next year.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->