4A Lake Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2023-2024 Standings</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rancho High School –</strong>&nbsp;<em>9-1 (21-5 Overall)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Desert Oasis High School –&nbsp;</strong><em>7-3 (13-8 Overall)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Canyon Springs High School –</strong>&nbsp;<em>6-4 (15-14 Overall)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Palo Verde High School –</strong>&nbsp;<em>6-4 (12-11 Overall)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pinecrest Academy Cadence –&nbsp;</strong><em>2-8 (10-17 Overall)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Southeast Career Technical Academy –</strong>&nbsp;<em>0-10 (1-21Overall)</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>2024-25 Standings Predictions<br><br>1.</strong>&nbsp;<strong>Rancho High School -</strong> Rancho will look to win the 4A Lake Conference once again. They return 11 players from last year, including their talented guards, [player_tooltip player_id='1253142' first='Jakoi' last='Lide'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1535761' first='Jailen' last='Childress']. [player_tooltip player_id='1587232' first='Ahmad' last='Koroma'], [player_tooltip player_id='2640739' first='Terry' last='Taylor'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1585396' first='Johbarrii' last='Badger'] will also be two-way impact players for Rancho this season. I predict that they will run the table due to their experience and chemistry . <br><br><strong>2. Palo Verde High School -</strong> Right now, I believe that Palo Verde will finish second in the 4A Lake conference. However they may be able to capture the number one spot if they can play hard lockdown defense and get elite guard play out of [player_tooltip player_id='1962969' first='Ethan' last='Inocencio'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1974915' first='Zubayr' last='Toms']. [player_tooltip player_id='2325960' first='Tavien' last='Phoenix'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1983361' first='Jaiden' last='Cobb'] are also going to be contributors this season.<br><br><strong>3. Desert Oasis High School -</strong> Desert Oasis' leading scorer from last year, Kaden Arnold, transferred to Skyline Prep two months ago. It's a big loss, [player_tooltip player_id='2078087' first='Jerome' last='White'] will need to elevate his level of play, and be the team leader. Emilio Leal and Michai Smith will also need to take on bigger roles this year. At the moment, I expect them to finish third in the conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. Canyon Springs High School -</strong> Canyon Springs is going to look much different then they did last season. They lost their top 5 leading scorers and KJ Brooks transferred to Mater East Academy. [player_tooltip player_id='2351330' first='Henry' last='King'], [player_tooltip player_id='2318705' first='Greg' last='Ward'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2423332' first='Mehki' last='Carter'] will look to right the ship. I expect that their conference record won't be as good as last year, but they may be a stronger team in late January. <br><br><strong>5.</strong> <strong>Pinecrest Academy Cadence -</strong> Pinecrest will need to find some new offense this year, as they graduated their two top scorers. Martinique Brown and Jeremiah Combs are the most likely guys to take the reigns. Fellow junior, Kellen Trubey, will also look to be a key contributor for Pinecrest this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>6. Southeast Career Technical Academy –</strong> Last season wasn't an easy one for SECTA, they didn't collect a single conference win. Diego Galarza is a junior now, and Worthy Manumaleuna and [player_tooltip player_id='2812157' first='Ricardo' last='Rodriguez'] are now sophomores. With a little more experience under their belts, they have a chance to grab a couple of conference wins. Hopefully they pick up a few more wins overall as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br><strong>Top Returning Scorers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1253142' first='Jakoi' last='Lide'] - 18.2 PPG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2078087' first='Jerome' last='White'] - 9.6 PPG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1535761' first='Jailen' last='Childress'] - 8.2 PPG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Diego Galarza - 6.2 PPG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martinique King - 5.5 PPG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2351330' first='Henry' last='King'] - 5.3 PPG</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Projected All-Conference Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>MVP - </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1253142' first='Jakoi' last='Lide'] <br><strong>First Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1585396' first='Johbarrii' last='Badger'] - Rancho High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2078087' first='Jerome' last='White'] - Desert Oasis High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1535761' first='Jailen' last='Childress'] - Rancho High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1587232' first='Ahmad' last='Koroma'] - Rancho High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1962969' first='Ethan' last='Inocencio'] - Palo Verde High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Second Team</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1974915' first='Zubayr' last='Toms'] - Palo Verde High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1974735' first='Luke' last='Robinson'] - Palo Verde High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2325960' first='Tavien' last='Phoenix'] - Palo Verde High School </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2640739' first='Terry' last='Taylor'] - Rancho High School </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2351330' first='Henry' last='King'] - Canyon Springs High School</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Best of the Best</strong><br><br><strong>Best Shooter:</strong>&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1962969' first='Ethan' last='Inocencio']<br><strong>Best Rebounder:</strong>&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1585396' first='Johbarrii' last='Badger'] <br><strong>Best Defender:</strong>&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1587232' first='Ahmad' last='Koroma']<br><strong>Best College Prospect:</strong>&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1253142' first='Jakoi' last='Lide']<br><strong>Most Improved Player:</strong>&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='1974915' first='Zubayr' last='Toms']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->