Round of 12, 3A Standout Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a busy day at the Dome, here are your day one standout guards from some incredible games in the 3A tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1450575' first='Ishe' last='Kanhukamwe'] | Garfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kanhukamwe came up with clutch shots at the end, sinking two free throws in the fourth to extend their lead to three which was huge considering Arlington was able to fire off and sink a 3 at the buzzer to force overtime. He also hit a huge 3 to tie the game back up in overtime and help propel Garfield to the win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1450985' first='Legend' last='Smiley'] | Garfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pretty efficient day for the star guard. Although he didn't really get going from 3PT, he was able to hit some tough jumpers from the midrange off the dribble and keep Garfield settled at times in a tough game. Really found his flow in the fourth quarter when it mattered most. As we've seen throughout the year, even when he's not at his best, he finds that extra juice in crunch time and came up big yesterday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1450500' first='Jamari' last='Harris'] | Garfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He's been a menace attacking off the dribble from the top recently, spinning back middle off of fake dribble hand off's and using his length and athleticism to finish high at the rim. Also did a great job defending opposing bigs inside and rebounding on both ends, using some big bounce to follow up shots with putbacks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1485654' first='Marcel' last='Jones'] | Garfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Huge boost for the Bulldogs yesterday. Cashed in a number of 3s including two late in the contest that kept it a one-point game and were key to Garfield's win. He also played some tough perimeter defense and had a few nice finishes/passes inside. One of the more important performers from yesterday that you might not have expected.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1451025' first='Leyton' last='Martin'] | Arlington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just a crafty, determined scorer who did everything he could to keep his team in the game. Ended with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds and made countless hustle plays to keep possessions alive. He had to shoulder a big scoring load early on but was able to open up the game with his scoring and start finding teammates later in the second half. One of the better performers from the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1631548' first='Jackson' last='Trotter'] | Arlington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A steady secondary ballhandler and creator for Arlington, he had to step up big when [player_tooltip player_id='1451025' first='Leyton' last='Martin'] fouled out with 1:21 to go in the fourth. Helped steady their offense by bailing them out with a corner 3 after a stagnant possession, then started finding room to attack the paint off the dribble and spur action for them without their main creator on the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1850299' first='Kaden' last='Powers'] | Rainier Beach</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He had to work through a lot of bodies early on and the scoring wasn't at his normal level but he was key in a lot of other areas, specifically stepping up on the defensive end. Just came up with timely plays, stealing a pass at the top and taking it the other way for a big jam, working for offensive boards and put-backs, and finding a couple of nice passes off drives to his bigs inside. Really nice all-around game for the junior guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1451029' first='Nyale' last='Robinson'] | Rainier Beach</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we've seen many times this season, Robinson got hot from 3, hitting two big shots to extend their lead to seven heading into the half. Then hit a couple more in the second half and was just about a sure thing when left open yesterday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1512861' first='Micah' last='Gentry'] | North Thurston</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As their deficit grew in the second half, Gentry stepped up to help create a little life for the Rams in the third with his outside shooting. Knocking in a couple of 3s and getting the score back to a manageable margin.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1485680' first='Liam' last='Sheeran'] | North Thurston</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As usual, the junior guard was the primary creator with his ability to see gaps, attack, and move the defense with his downhill action. He turned his ankle late in the third and Beach really started to run away with the game after that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2375356' first='Terrence' last='Whiting']</strong> | Todd Beamer</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A big, strong guard, he had several tough drives to the basket, finishing through contact and drawing fouls. His toughness resulted in a couple of big rebounds, ripping the ball away from opposing players, and ended up sinking a critical 3 late in the game to make it a one-point deficit.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1450563' first='Jaxon' last='Dubiel'] | Mountlake Terrace</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Did a fantastic job leaking out and getting up the floor early on to set a fast pace. An instinctual player who can anticipate game flow and trusts his teammates to be on the same page.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1485585' first='Rayshaun' last='Connor'] | Mountlake Terrace</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Came alive from 3 early on in the game and then came back to bury another shot from deep to help halt a huge run from Beamer. Then hit another big shot off the dribble, sinking a contested midrange to extend their lead to three and help them win a game that nearly got away from them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1451033' first='Jaylen' last='Petty'] | Auburn</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After scoring only four points in the first half, Petty came back with a solid second half on both ends. Managed to drill a couple of supremely difficult turnaround jumpers from above the foul line, creating just enough space to get the shots off. Hit a floater with just about a minute left to put his team up two but it wasn't enough as Auburn fell to Lincoln.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1984463' first='Carter' last='Hansen'] | Auburn</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Had some good slashes to the rim and was able to change speeds well, covered lots of ground with his bursts from the outside. Also made a nice read to lure an inbound pass then jump it from behind and go right to the rim for the layup. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2368911' first='LaVhanta' last='Sandling-Green']</strong> | Lincoln (Tacoma)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hit one of the biggest shots of the day from 3-point that put his team up one with less than a minute remaining. He was their most effective guard throughout the game, getting past the initial defender and showing a range of finishing in the paint and at the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->