5A Semifinals Recap and Top Performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop Gorman vs Desert Pines Recap</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop Gorman took on Desert Pines on Wednesday night, and they came out with the win. They were in control most of the game thanks to [player_tooltip player_id='986960' first='Nick' last='Jefferson'], but early on it was somewhat close. The Gaels were only up 15-11, and then they began to go on a run and built a decent lead. Gorman kept it going in the 3rd quarter, both [player_tooltip player_id='1511462' first='Jett' last='Washington'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1534009' first='Kingston' last='Carmona'] began to do damage in the paint. Desert Pines made things interesting the fourth quarter when they started to apply more pressure on defense, and they also went on a small run of their own. It seemed as though the Jaguars might get back in it. But Bishop Gorman shut the door in the final minutes. The score was 67-57.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Performers </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["986960"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b772729d9c7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jefferson took care of the rock and facilitated a good amount of Bishop Gorman's offense in the state semifinals. He was driving hard to the basket and was able to hit a few tough shots. I also noticed Jefferson looking for his teammates. He dished out a staggering 10 assists over the course of the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 14 Points, 10 assists </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1511462"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b772729da2d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">As Stacey King once said about Derrick Rose, "too big, too strong, too fast". Washington's athleticism is off the charts. Which allows him to score even when he's been guarded quite well. On Wednesday night, he consistently shot the ball right over his opponent in the paint. He also used his vertical to come up with a block for the Gaels. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 18 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1534009"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b772729da7b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Bishop Gorman drew up a play for him to receive an alley-oop to open the 3rd quarter and he threw it down with authority. From there Carmona was on a roll, and rattled of a few more inside buckets for the Gaels. On defense, he didn't give his opponents much room to operate. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 10 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2111894"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b772729dac4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Despite the loss, [player_tooltip player_id='2111894' first='Tyler' last='Merto'] had himself a game. The sophomore was scoring from all three levels. He had a few really good takes to the cup, and he was draining shots from the perimeter. I was impressed with how he began to hunt shots and he was very much responsible for this being a close game. ,</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 20 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mojave vs Silverado Recap </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This game was more back and fourth then I expected. The Silverhawks had a couple of guys who looked hungry for a win. Both [player_tooltip player_id='1970812' first='Travaughn' last='Brigance'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1494682' first='Kayden' last='Goss'] got hot at times and it looked as though they might not cool off. Then when the game was on the line the fourth quarter, [player_tooltip player_id='1268866' first='CJ' last='Shaw'], [player_tooltip player_id='1465681' first='Curtis' last='Coleman'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1665140' first='Zacarrion' last='Jackson'] raised their level of play. [player_tooltip player_id='1268866' first='CJ' last='Shaw'] was hustling on the defensive end, Coleman was hitting shots, and Jackson was coming down with rebounds. While the the Rattlers weren't entirely mistake free, they did execute just enough down the stretch to get the win. The final score was 71-67.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Top Performers </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1268866"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b772729db0d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Early on, [player_tooltip player_id='1268866' first='CJ' last='Shaw'] exploded off the ground for a putback dunk. Then right before halftime, he splashed in a 3-pointer. In the second half he continued to make plays for the Rattlers, especially on defense. He was picking off passes, which helped throw Silverado out of rhythm. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 17 Points, 4 Steals, 1 Block</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1465681"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b772729db53"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1465681' first='Curtis' last='Coleman'] made some timely shots for the Rattlers in their win over the Silverhawks. He was floating off ball and his teammates found him when he was open. Coleman displayed a good release on just about all of his attempts, and most of them went in. Including a 3-pointer to give Mojave the lead with just over a minute left in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 13 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1420496"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b78ba0dd6d4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Trotter utilized his size and footwork to score on Wednesday night. I liked how his teammates consistently fed him the ball, knowing that he was more than likely going to get a bucket. He finished the game as the Rattlers leading scorer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats -17 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1970812"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b772729db99"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brigance was cooking in the first half. He had his floater going, and used good pace to get to the rim. He continued to get to his spots in the second half and got to the free throw line as well. Unfortunately, he and the Silverhawks ran out of gas towards the end. But it was still a really great effort from him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 26 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1494682"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67b772729dbdd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Goss had a semi-slow start against Mojave, but he came alive in the second half. Although the Rattlers were guarding him well, he connected on two 3-pointers and a fadeaway jumper. In addition to his outside shooting, he also managed to get to the rack a few times. On the defensive end, Goss had a couple of deflections and a block. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stats - 16 Points </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bishop Gorman and Mojave will face off for the state title on Friday at 8:15 PM. The game will take place at Cox Pavilion. </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->