3A Semifinals Preview: Mater East Academy vs Spring Creek

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>This game will take place at Clark High School on Thursday 2/20. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Mater East Academy (20-6) vs Spring Creek (20-7) at 4:40 </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mater East Academy Players To Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1253143' first='Deven' last='Taylor'] - Taylor has played at a very high level when I've watched him play his post season. He's been assertive on offense and he's been gritty on defense. Look for him to make his presence felt in the semifinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1243526' first='Lonnie' last='Bass Jr']. - The Knights forward is a glass cleaner and will likely be all over the boards on Thursday night. If he can stay out of foul trouble, Mater East will have a good chance of moving on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2050195' first='Roman' last='Taylor'] - [player_tooltip player_id='2050195' first='Roman' last='Taylor'] has the ability to widen a lead or close a gap with his 3-point shooting. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1243525' first='Miles' last='Williams'] - The Mater East floor general will be asked to facilitate and control the pace of the game. His defensive efforts could also give the Knights an advantage, as he does a good job of anticipating passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kenden Jones - Jones should be able to make an impact on the game by playing good defense and he also can score on the inside. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2221829' first='Kwes' last='Young'] - When I've watched Young play, I notice that he usually gives the Knights a jolt of energy. He can throw down dunks on offense, and come up with big blocks on defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Notable Players To Watch</strong><em> </em><strong>-</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='2357939' first='Kobe' last='Robinson']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Spring Creek lost to Fernley 44-43 in the 3A North Region Finals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Spring Creek Players To Watch </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2812147' first='Scott' last='Bylund'] - Bylund is one of Spring Creek's top scorers. He recently posted 10 points against Fernley. The sophomore also stands at 6'6, and may be able to make some plays around the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2797885' first='Tayden' last='Francis'] - Francis normally averages 12.7 PPG but only put up 4 points in the 4A North Region finals. If Spring Creek wants to upset the Knights, he'll need to shoot a bit better in the state semifinals. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Snowdon Bear Williams - Williams outperformed his averages by a wide margin in Spring Creek's matchup with Fernley, dropping 15 points. Although he's also an underclassmen, look for him to attempt to get going on offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2797890' first='Djrevan' last='Demick'] - The senior guard is more of a distributor than a scorer. He's also averaging 3.0 steals a game this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lelaynd Bautista - Another guard for Spring Creek, he should be able to contribute by scoring a bit and finding his teammates for open looks. However his biggest task will likely be not turning the ball over against a very fast Knights team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Prediction:</em> The Knights have looked like a state championship contender this season, and I believe they'll be playing for it on Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->