Junior Standouts in January

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>January is coming to a close so I went back through some games to find players rolling through the month. They are picking up steam at the right time as teams fight for playoff position and prepare for the final few games of the season and the road to State.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1631541"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Webb has had some big games for O'Dea this month, helping them to a 6-1 record with one more to go in January, including wins over Garfield and West Seattle. Against Garfield, the junior wing dropped in 15 points and was a factor all over the floor. Offensively, he used his length to finish inside, both running the floor and following shots at the rim. He continues to look better from behind the arc and spotted up to knock down a few open 3s. Similarly, he was a big presence on the defensive end both defending on the perimeter and showing good help side awareness to step up and block shots near the rim. They have a rematch with Garfield on Jan. 30 that will have big implications at the top of the Metro Mountain.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1485541"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Olympia's found a lot of success this year even after losing a bunch of key players from last season's State runner-up team. At 15-5 overall, and 13-0 in league play, the Bears have found their step in January going 9-1 with wins over top SPSL teams, Curtis and Sumner. A big piece of that success has been Lindblom. He's shown he can go out and get buckets in big moments, scoring 13 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter against Rogers in a Jan. 20 victory, and outpacing the entire Rams team 13-11 in the final frame. But Lindblom does more than score and even in their lone loss of the month to Tahoma, Lindblom showed an ability to get penetration, draw extra defenders, and set up his teammates with timely passes. He did a lot of little things in that game like long box outs and strips in transition.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1850309"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Auburn Mountainview got off to a slow start this month, dropping their first three games before finally breaking the seal against Puyallup at the King Showcase. Arius had his best game of the month in that pivotal game, scoring 20 points, nabbing eight boards, dishing out four assists and swiping three steals. On the month, he's averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.7 blocks. He's a kid that can really get it going from deep, drilling three 3s versus Puyallup from NBA range, but he's also a solid passer off his downhill drives. His Lions have rattled off five in a row now and have two huge games left on the schedule against Todd Beamer and Auburn. Both teams sit above the Lions in the NPSL.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1451024"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"The 6-foot-7 forward has really come on this year, and as of last week was averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds per game while shooting 35% from 3PT. He's had a couple of big games this month including 19 points and 10 rebounds in a win against Snohomish, and a 25-point 11-rebound game in another victory versus Lynwood. Offensively, he looks a lot more comfortable and readily deploys a variety of moves to get to the basket, both from the perimeter and the blocks. He's shown he can knock down the three, but he's also taking guys off the bounce left or right and has demonstrated growth in his ability to attack with his back to the hoop or facing up from closer in. And defensively he continues to remind players of his presence by sending back weak shot attempts.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1485680"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Sheeran has been a great playmaker for the first-place Rams, helping them to a 7-1 record in January with another big game looming against Gig Harbor. Last time they played, Sheeran was all over the game, setting a great pace and energy that spurred his team to victory in a defensive battle. He always brings great energy but has really emerged as a kid who can play with pace and change of speeds in both the open court and their half court sets. He has the vision to see openings and attack them to score or set up assists. On the month, he's averaging 10.4 points, 5.0 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 4.8 steals and 0.5 blocks. He has game highs this month of 19 points, 9 assists, and an astounding 11 steals. North Thurston has racked up big wins over top league foes Timberline and Gig Harbor this month.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2375377' first='BJ' last='Roy']","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"6'2u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Garfield","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Garfield has been rolling this month and have come up with some big Metro wins against Eastside Catholic, and twice beating Rainier Beach by one point. The Bulldogs have a few big names leading the way, but junior [player_tooltip player_id='2375377' first='BJ' last='Roy'] has also been a key player for them and has the skills to be a real difference-maker when playoffs roll around. He's a quick, bursty guard who's got the slick handle to dart inside or fake drives and get defenders falling back. He also shows great footwork on his dribble combos to maximize the ground he covers and the separation he creates. Roy has a pure stroke from 3PT and has continued to penalize teams for helping in on drives, leaving him open to splash from deep. He's also a high-energy defender and has the type of pace and energy that can create big momentum plays.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65b2f7b00946a"} /-->