Jan 22-26: Senior Guard Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week I viewed 10 games with varsity and JV games.&nbsp;The varsity games I viewed were on Monday I watched the&nbsp;<strong>Buckeye Hawks&nbsp;</strong>defeat<strong>&nbsp;Washington Rams 82-53.</strong>&nbsp;Tuesday I watched&nbsp;<strong>St. Mary's Knights&nbsp;</strong>defeat&nbsp;<strong>Mesquite Wildcats</strong>&nbsp;<strong>75-73</strong>. Wednesday I watched&nbsp;<strong>Cactus Shadows Falcons&nbsp;</strong>defeat<strong>&nbsp;McClintock Chargers</strong>&nbsp;<strong>55-49</strong>.&nbsp;Thursday I watched&nbsp;<strong>Cesar Chavez Champions</strong>&nbsp;defeat&nbsp;<strong>Shadow Ridge Stallions 84-47</strong>&nbsp;and finally Friday I watched&nbsp;<strong>Valley Christian Trojans</strong>&nbsp;defeat&nbsp;<strong>Ben Franklin Chargers 90-35.</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the senior guard standouts from the week</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='994006' first='Styles' last='Phipps'] St. Mary's (Pictured) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The star of the night was definitely Phipps. He was arguably the top performer of the entire week. He scored 33 points with multiple rebounds and assists and many clutch plays to defeat a talented Mesquite squad. He has a big bag to score with mid-range pull-up, post ups from 8-feet and in, crow hops, step thrus, blow bys in heavy traffic and gets to the FT line a lot. He actually made 16 free throws showing it truly is a skill to find a way to get fouled. He made a few incredible passes and played good defense on the ball and rebounds unusually well.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2039504' first='Jyren' last='Griffin'] Buckeye</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bucket from all three levels. He has the catch three, the mid-range jumper, he is great in transition and cuts when he should for layups. He has an easy stroke and can even fall away off of his defender in the post. He has quick hands to collect steals in bunches. He scored 22 points. Stock up!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1216999' first='Jaylen' last='Wollangk'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong downhill defensive point guard. He will facilitate, defend and score. He will score on mid-range jumpers, hit the catch three, and get thru heavy contact with his upper body strength. He is a plus athlete to rebound in traffic among the taller players and his motor is on display every game. He scored 12 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1633023' first='Christian' last='Garven'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true combo guard has improved. He is a good passer up the court and will drive and kick it. He made a few eye popping passes. He scores with threes off the catch, mid-range pull-ups and even off balanced shots in the lane. Down three, the Mesquite Coach drew up a last second 3pt shot for Garven, that did come up short, but showed you how much confidence he has in him. He scored 9 points with multiple assists. Stock up!&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2171163' first='Gavin' last='Bartlett'] Shadow Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A knockdown three point shooter off the catch needs very little time and space to get it off. He is a smart passer and is way more athletic then you realize with high level rebounds in traffic and put backs plus block a shot or two.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1986834' first='Danta' last='Stallworth'] Cesar Chavez&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A defensive point guard who can score. He was a ball hawk versus Shadow Ridge with multiple steals that usually led to an assist to a teammate for a layup. He can hit the catch three, score on put backs and throw the lob pass perfectly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1312333' first='Kenny' last='White'] St. Mary's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A true combo guard who makes good decisions with the ball. He can take pressure off of Phipps at times. The lefty is a catch shooter. He will spot up quickly and had four triples on this night off the catch that proved to be pivotal in their win. He gives high effort on the defensive end and rebounds well despite his size.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->