Top Performers: Carlsbad vs. Cathedral Catholic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CARLSBAD — We made the hour-and-a-half trip down to Carlsbad high school Saturday night to take in some San Diego Section Open Division action. The top-seeded Lancers hosted eight-seed Cathedral Catholic in a quarterfinal game that was fairly competitive until the third quarter began. Carlsbad took control of the game swiftly and showed why it is considered the unquestioned top team in the San Diego area with a 104-64 decision over the Dons. Below we dive in to our top performers from that game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best Scorers: [player_tooltip player_id='1630639' first='Jake' last='Hall'], Carlsbad | Max Meza, Cathedral Catholic</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>On Hall:</strong> Hall is regarded as one of the top scoring guards in his class in the state, so it's no surprise he ends up leading this category. The 6-foot-3 junior finished with 23 points while sitting most of the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. Hall scored 13 points in the third quarter where the Lancers separated from Cathedral for good and he knocked down four three-pointers on the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>On Meza: </strong>The talented sophomore combo guard put on an impressive shooting display en route to a team-high 15 points. Meza connected on three 3-pointers and two mid-range jumpers, all of which came of the off-the-bounce variety. Meza has really good feel when creating space off the dribble and flows quickly into his shooting mechanics.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best All-Around: [player_tooltip player_id='1502816' first='Jael' last='Martin'], Carlsbad | Patrick O'Brien Cathedral Catholic</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>On Martin:</strong> The 6-foot-9 senior had his hands in just about every aspect of the game. Early on he was a defensive presence as a rim protector, rebounder and switchable ball screen defender. Offensively, Cathedral had no one to match his combination of size and athleticism both in transition and half-court settings. Martin finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and even a couple of assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>On O'Brien: </strong>The 6-foot-5 point guard is really a jack-of-all-trades type of player. O'Brien, a junior, is the main ball-handler and creator of offense who uses his size and basketball IQ to get paint touches where he can knock down a turn-around jumper over a smaller defender or kick to an open teammate. O'Brien can also stretch the floor to the three-point line off the catch. He finished with 13 points and a handful of assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best Complimentary Piece: [player_tooltip player_id='1502812' first='Tony' last='Duckett'], Carlsbad | PJ Jourdain, Cathedral Catholic</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>On Duckett: </strong>The thing that makes Carlsbad such a difficult team to beat in San Diego is the fact that they have so many players who can step up and be "The Guy" if someone is having an off night. Duckett is one of those players and in this game he did a great job of picking his spots to be aggressive. The 6-foot-4 wing scored 16 points and flashed is high level athleticism and finishing ability around the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>On Jourdain:</strong> The 6-foot-3 off-guard is the perfect complimentary player at the high school level because he impacts the game without needing to dominate the ball. Jourdain scored 10 points, including two 3-pointers off the catch, and made a number of key plays in transition in the first half. The junior is a prospect for four-year programs to keep an eye on this spring and summer and into his senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Best Off The Bench: [player_tooltip player_id='1502805' first='Euan' last='Davis'], Carlsbad</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>On Davis:</strong> The 6-foot-1 senior looked to us like the defensive specialist for the Lancers as he came in as the sixth-man with a focus on pressuring the ball and speeding up the opposing guards. Davis thrived in that role as an energy guy and brought a bit of toughness to the floor with a chip on his shoulder.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->