Feb 13th-17th: Junior Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week I attended four varsity games which included three AIA playoff games. Tuesday I watched<strong>&nbsp;Hillcrest Prep&nbsp;</strong>defeat&nbsp;<strong>Paragon Academy 76-66.&nbsp;</strong>Wednesday I watched&nbsp;<strong>Highland</strong>&nbsp;defeat&nbsp;<strong>Sandra Day O'Connor</strong>&nbsp;<strong>71-68.&nbsp;</strong>Friday I watched&nbsp;<strong>St. Mary's&nbsp;</strong>defeat&nbsp;<strong>Ironwood 66-47</strong>&nbsp;and finally Saturday I watched&nbsp;<strong>ALA Ironwood</strong>&nbsp;defeat<strong>&nbsp;SCA 82-58.&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the Junior Standouts from the week</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2176822' first='Christian' last='Jones'] Hillcrest Prep (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A diminutive PG is one of the best passers in the class locally. He makes passes with his left or right hand look easy, pocket passes in stride and up the court dimes on a rope. He has speed on speed to burn and he scores on sharp pull-ups. He talks on defense and collects steals in bunches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2206144' first='Tristan' last='Beckford'] Hillcrest Prep&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward who is a true pro type of an athlete. He had 23 points and scored with alley-oops, full windmill dunks and he literally jumped over a defender. He can get downhill and make the three off the catch. He is a decent passer, he rebounds well and blocks shots in his area with his supreme bounce.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1449361' first='Caspian' last='Jones'] St. Mary's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top scoring forwards in the AIA had it rolling in the second round of the playoffs. He scored with his polished mid-range pull-up often, he had multiple dunks and took the contact to score inside with his improved frame and strength. He can also step out and shoot the three easily. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2039490' first='Noah' last='Adkins'] ALA Ironwood</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring PG plays at a good pace to his game. He has a very tight handle to past his defenders and kick it to a shooter. He is very quick on the ball defensively to rip some pockets cleanly and he can score. He has a quick shooting release with deep range and a polished floater. Stock up!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1217315' first='TayVion' last='Wilson'] Sandra Day O'Connor</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring lead guard had 17 points on the night. He has a super quick shooting release from the three, he can score in traffic with contact and even post up inside with a very high IQ to pick on smaller guards. He makes passes easily with either hand and hit a couple tough pull-ups when needed.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1735336' first='Michael' last='Johnson'] Highland</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An improving combo guard is an easy scorer. He is creating more off the dribble from all levels. He can shoot the three off the catch or dribble with a very quick release. He is crafty to get to the rim and made it tough to score on him. He scored 15 points in the win.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1735325' first='Walker' last='Stum'] Highland&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong upper body framed shooting guard uses his body in the lane to score thru the contact. He will score on put backs off of his top end rebounding for size. He also made a clutch three in the fourth quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2349745' first='Amore' last='Connelly'] Hillcrest Prep&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A North Carolina transplant is a hyper athletic scoring combo guard. He loves getting downhill scoring thru contact. He made a couple eye popping dunks on his way to the rim.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1354953' first='I'yar' last='Shadowvine'] Ironwood&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The scoring lead guard for the Eagles is tough and fearless. He will blow by his defenders with hesitations and bursts in his bag. He manages to get to the free throw line often and is fierce on the ball defensively.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->