5A Play-In: Paradise Valley cruises past La Joya to advance

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I watched the replay of the February 21st 5A play-in game with<strong>&nbsp;#15 Paradise Valley hosting #18 La Joya</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>PV led from start to finish. They led 14-9 after the 1st quarter and 28-21 at halftime. [player_tooltip player_id='1431745' first='AJ' last='Anderson'] hit a 3 near the end of the 3rd quarter to give them a 42-28 lead heading into the 4th quarter. They cruised in the 4th quarter with suffocating defense by [player_tooltip player_id='1351132' first='Shay' last='Yarde'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2423161' first='Brenden' last='Goodman'] and the strong play from [player_tooltip player_id='2292818' first='O'mari' last='Gilbert']. PV won <strong>56-46</strong> and take on Central tonight at 7:00pm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the standouts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2292818' first='O'mari' last='Gilbert'] Paradise Valley (Pictured)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A standout sophomore power forward scored with drop step moves into a hook shot, he has a nice floater game, half hook shots, quick rip thrus into a reverse layup and dunks. The long lefty is becoming more and more polished with his moves. He scored 13 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2697400' first='Lando' last='Certo'] Paradise Valley&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger wing forward can rattle in threes off the catch with deep range and a quick trigger. He will jump stop inside to score and he is also crafty to get into the paint to score or get fouled. He rebounds well in his area and scored 11 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1351132' first='Shay' last='Yarde'] Paradise Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A quick on quick defensive point guard has a tough layup package and advanced body control. He will score with offensive rebound put backs. He is a crazy good rebounder for his size and will dive on the floor with a great motor to defend. He loves getting downhill with his left and is a capable three point shooter. He scored 11 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1431745' first='AJ' last='Anderson'] Paradise Valley&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A sharp shooting lead guard will fire away off the catch from the three point line with some range and confidence. He will score with driving layups in transition and will collect a steal and throw a dime. He scored 8 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2423161' first='Brenden' last='Goodman'] Paradise Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A defensive-minded point guard was a menace on defense with collecting steals and using his lateral quickness to pester his opponents. He has plus court vision to make plays for his teammates. He scored 6 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2790643' first='Shay' last='Patel'] Paradise Valley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A newcomer for me is a big bruiser inside. He is a defensive player who is a great rebounder with two hands in the painted area and will score with mini hook shots in his area or put backs.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2697397' first='Isaiah' last='Carter'] La Joya&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A long and lean bigger wing forward is a natural scorer. He will score with catch threes, offensive rebound tip dunks and takes long strides to the basket to score or get trips to the free throw line often. He scored 15 points. He was region <strong>POY</strong> and you see why. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2790641' first='Joseph' last='Rukundo'] La Joya&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger guard is can score it multiple ways. He scored 15 points with off the dribble threes, pull-ups from mid-range, offensive rebound put backs and he is very fast with long strides on the break. He also rebounds well with some springs.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->