First Round 3A Playoff Preview and Predictions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first round of the 3A Southern Playoffs begins tonight!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Moapa Valley (11-15) at The Meadows School (18-7) at 6:30</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Meadows School came away with the one seed and they will look to keep their successful season alive. [player_tooltip player_id='2280840' first='Uzo' last='Nwapa'], [player_tooltip player_id='1817875' first='Grant' last='Moses'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2050108' first='Ethan' last='Fink'] have all been productive and efficient players for them this season. Then we have Moapa Valley, who are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1988916' first='Bryson' last='Walker'] (Senior). [player_tooltip player_id='2797827' first='Brigham' last='Whitmore'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2806773' first='Jaxson' last='Bunker'] are other Pirates players who can do some scoring. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Prediction:</em> The Meadows School simply has too much offensive firepower for the Pirates to handle and I believe they move on. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Pinecrest Sloan Canyon at Mater East Academy at 6:30</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mater East Academy has been doing well lately. They have rattled off 8 wins in the row and beat defending state champs, Democracy Prep just a few weeks ago. Experienced seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1243526' first='Lonnie' last='Bass Jr']. , [player_tooltip player_id='1243525' first='Miles' last='Williams'], [player_tooltip player_id='2050195' first='Roman' last='Taylor'], [player_tooltip player_id='2357939' first='Kobe' last='Robinson'], Kenden Jones and Devan Taylor will look to guide the Knights past the Pirates. If Sloan Canyon wants to stand a chance against that group of veterans, they'll need more than a few things to go there way. But M.J. Tucker has the potential to get hot from downtown, and I've seen [player_tooltip player_id='2723605' first='Damon' last='Ameperosa'] go on an impressive scoring run. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Prediction:</em> Mater East is much more experienced and they should be able to advance. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas (13-11) at Democracy Prep (17-6) at 6:30</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Democracy Prep could be on the verge of another state championship, but they will need to take it one game at a time. Which means they need to come out and play hard against Coral Academy. I believe guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2374248' first='Dashaun' last='Harris'], [player_tooltip player_id='1965364' first='Dion' last='Parker'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1529853' first='Tai' last='Coleman'] should be locked in ready to go. Coral Academy will have their hands full but I'm sure they'll compete all 4 quarters. [player_tooltip player_id='2799066' first='Jayden' last='Aranas'] is their leading scorer and knows how to get to the free throw line, The Falcons will also look to Michael [player_tooltip player_id='2147674' first='Trey' last='Phillips'] and Kaleb Elliott to hit shots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Prediction:</em> Democracy Prep knows how to win big games and I'm sure they can get the job done tonight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Virgin Valley (14-10) at Boulder City at 6:30 </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boulder City wants their season to go a bit longer. In order for that to happen they need to play at their pace and get good open looks like they're capable of. [player_tooltip player_id='2263756' first='Sean' last='Pendleton'], [player_tooltip player_id='1670308' first='Luke' last='Wright'], Aiden Virgil, and [player_tooltip player_id='2461217' first='King' last='Raleigh'] are all accurate shooters and Virgin Valley will have a tough time slowing them down. [player_tooltip player_id='2797821' first='Reece' last='Leavitt'], [player_tooltip player_id='2277065' first='Elian' last='Pinto'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2348529' first='Corban' last='Waite'] are the primary scorers for the Bulldogs and they will need to rise to the occasion to pull off the upset. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Prediction:</em> I expect Boulder City to continue their playoff run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->