Phil Griego Invitational: Winner Bracket Analysis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1st Place: Volcano Vista Hawks (Team MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='1176300' first='Kenyon' last='Aguino'])</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Volcano never seemed to have a true struggle in this tournament. They handled their first round opponent with ease, grinded out a tough win against Sandia in the semifinals, and dismantled Cleveland in the second half of the Championship game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1176300' first='Kenyon' last='Aguino']</strong> was able to force his will upon his opponents, putting up back-to-back double-doubles in the winner bracket rounds. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2111977' first='David' last='Lunn'] </strong>showed out in the championship game, showcasing his athletic ability and strength en route to a near double-double, mostly in the second half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2nd Place: Cleveland Storm (Team MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='1158654' first='Daniel' last='Steverson'])</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cleveland was looking like the team to beat in their first two games, winning by a combined margin of 75 points against Miyamura and Roswell. They looked even-keel with the Hawks in the championship game in the first half, but just simply fell apart in the second half to land themselves in second place. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158654' first='Daniel' last='Steverson'] </strong>looked like the best player on the floor at times, lighting up the score sheet with his shooting ability, and punishing defenders one-on-one with his athleticism. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1897844' first='Noah' last='Padilla']</strong> showed his patience and leadership skills in times of need for the Storm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3rd Place: Sandia Matadors (Team MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='1687823' first='Thomas' last='Adams'])</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sandia was a quarter away from potentially earning their spot in the championship game. They couldn't get passed the eventual-champion Hawks, but they showed exactly what they can do as a team to compete with the highest level of teams. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687823' first='Thomas' last='Adams']</strong> was a menace on both sides of the ball, grabbing 7 steals in his two winner bracket games, and scoring double-digits in both matchups. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2292960' first='Zaire' last='Ndyabagye'] </strong>showed how much of a double-double threat he is, using his length and speed to create for himself on both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4th Place: Roswell Coyotes (Team MVP: [player_tooltip player_id='2376308' first='Rylan' last='Sarracino'])</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roswell struggled outside of the first round, but almost came together to beat Sandia in the 3rd place game. They showed their shooting prowess, and what they can do when they're making shots. Though he didn't earn an All-Tournament team bid, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2376308' first='Rylan' last='Sarracino']</strong> was the most efficient player on the team. He put up 20+ points in both of their winner bracket games and averaged 1.5 steals between the two games. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1295238' first='Steven' last='McCaskill'] </strong>showed two different sides of his skillset in the two games. First game he showed his versatility, second game he showed his volume scoring ability. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->