Wings to Watch This Postseason
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These dynamic wings have already had big games this postseason and can fill a number of needs on the court. Keep locked in on these five prospects as their teams work to lock in their spot at State. Marques Ili-Meneese…
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Continue ReadingThese dynamic wings have already had big games this postseason and can fill a number of needs on the court. Keep locked in on these five prospects as their teams work to lock in their spot at State.
Ili-Meneese is a fun player to watch. He’s a guy that plays with power and speed and can really race downhill with the ball in his hands. He got up for an absolutely massive dunk on the break against Sammamish, but what was most impressive with that play was his burst in the open court to beat two Sammamish defenders to the rim. He was also excellent rebounding the ball and is a guy who can go coast to coast and likes to push the pace in transition. But more than just a fast and powerful player, Ili-Meneese shows good body control when working downhill to avoid charges and draw fouls himself. He also made several big plays defensively, both blocking shots and jumping passing lanes for steals. Their next game comes tonight against Bremerton to see who will play in the bi-district championship.
He didn’t have the prettiest game against Kelso in the opening round of their bi-district tournament, but his team was in it right until the end and Simmons displayed a gritty resolve to keep competing. Simmons didn’t really get going offensively until the second half but still ended the game as their leading scorer with 16 points. He got a lot more aggressive in the third quarter, working into the paint with nice change of pace and direction to prod and twist for open short range looks. He was really effective with his pivot and getting defenders falling back or off their feet, then mixed in some hard drives from the perimeter, utilizing strong rips to get through defenders and finish the plays off with some high finishes over the top of contests. Simmons’ next game is a winner-to-state matchup with a familiar league opponent, Gig Harbor.
Highlights
The tall Grandview wing made some impressive plays on both sides of the ball against Selah, and showed how important his skill set is to this Greyhounds team. At 6-foot-4 he has some length to disrupt shots inside and was pretty aggressive going after shots in the paint early on. He also used that length when working off the dribble, getting a nice running right hand floater to fall under tight defense, then later using his body to shield the defender and finish on the other side of the rim for a reverse layup. Bentley also has a nice shooting stroke from outside though most of his success in this game came in the paint. Look for him in their next game tonight against Prosser for their chance to clinch a spot at the state tournament.
Lynden Christian has been a strong team all season but one of the more unheralded guys on their squad has to be Vankooten. He’s a guy with some decent size who can really shoot the ball, but as he showed in their game versus Meridian isn’t afraid of getting physical down low. He made some big rebounds and was a solid finisher around the hoop, exhibiting patience and strength to finish with defenders all around. He can be a key player for them if he’s able to shoot the 3 and continue to rebound at a high level, but also has the skill to make plays here and there. The Lyncs next game will be in Yakima as they’ve already clinched their spot in the state tournament.
Ibarra had a big game in the district championship against Omak. Quincy’s point guard got in some foul trouble and when he left the game a lot of the ballhandling fell onto Ibarra. Omak came with high pressure to try and take advantage of the situation, but Ibarra was calm and actually used their aggression against them to split defenders and work his way into the midranges and paint to knock down shots. He’s a guy who can really switch up speeds and eat up a lot of space with a methodical attack. He finished the game with 16 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, and two steals, scoring efficiently from all around the paint, and coming up with some huge rebounds, really filling a lot of needs for his team in a tight game.