3A: Final-4 & Final Standouts

I watched three 3A games with the two semi-final games and the 3A finals.   The first 3A semi went to #5 seed Palo Verde defeating #1 seed Ben Franklin 52-48 in a wild game having both teams going back and forth winning the game during stretches. If a couple of calls here and there go differently, it is possible BF wins it. But a great game!   The second game had #2 seed Florence losing 55-53 to #11 seed Pusch Ridge after leading most of the game. PR fought back and got them late. Florence had one last chance but a great block by [player_tooltip player_id='2396146' first='Ethan' last='Graves'] PR had them holding on.   The 3rd game was the 3A Chip where #11 seed Pusch Ridge defeated #5 seed Palo Verde 69-46 that they led from start to finish impressively led by [player_tooltip player_id='2421849' first='Isaac' last='Hardeman'], [player_tooltip player_id='1956213' first='Ben' last='Lambe'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1986833' first='Noah' last='Mckinney']. It was one of those games where PR hit a bunch of shots early and it kind of snowballed for PV in a negative way.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the 3A Standouts</h2>   [player_tooltip player_id='2421849' first='Isaac' last='Hardeman'] Pusch Ridge   My first time viewing him and was impressed with how skilled he is. He scored 14 points in the semis and 24 in the Chip. He scores with dribble drives to the basket thru contact, jump stops, euro steps, threes off the catch, blow by's with and-1's and pull-ups from mid-range. He will throw the assist down the court for the dime and is also competitive on defense to block shots.     [player_tooltip player_id='1986833' first='Noah' last='Mckinney'] Pusch Ridge   One of the top sophomore scorers in Tucson had two good showings. He scored 22 in the semis and then 15 in the Chip. He scores with threes off the catch in bunches as he gets hot quickly. He can dunk it on the break, fade away. fall away from his defenders, a sharp mid-range pull-up and offensive rebound put backs.    [player_tooltip player_id='1956213' first='Ben' last='Lambe'] Pusch Ridge   A face-up power forward who rebounds well. He has improved his shooting from last season. He can now comfortably hit the three off the catch with some range. He will score with offensive rebound put backs and rebounds well in traffic with sneaky athleticism. He also blocks about two shots every game with great timing.     [player_tooltip player_id='2796436' first='Hunter' last='Edmunds'] Pusch Ridge   A wing forward with long arms. He moves his feet well to defend from inside and out. He will score with the floater game and takes long strides to score. He will score with quick bursts to the painted area and with his back to the basket. He did some of the little things.       <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/IMG_8709.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/03/IMG_8709.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2796103" style="width:364px;height:auto" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Palo Verde Titans.</figcaption></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='2134381' first='Daniel' last='Ortiz'] Palo Verde   A scoring guard has a lot of moves to utilize. He can fall away from his defender with ease, get downhill with his strength and score thru the contact with and-1's, hit the three and clean the glass and score with put backs. He rebounds the ball exceptionally well for his size.   [player_tooltip player_id='2134454' first='Kameron' last='Pippen'] Palo Verde   A super strong pure point guard was spraying the ball around the yard both games. He will drive and kick, do the slip pass or dump it off inside. He will score with a little bully ball with his strong legs and a super tight handle and pull-up and hit the three off the dribble.   [player_tooltip player_id='2396146' first='Ethan' last='Graves'] Palo Verde   A very active interior defensive player. He rebounds the ball well with two hands in the painted area and tries to challenge any players at the rim. He had a game saving block that essentially got the team into the Chip and runs the floor well.   [player_tooltip player_id='2535877' first='Adrian' last='Powers'] Palo Verde   A high level glue player for the Titans. He does a lot of the dirty work with inside tough takes in traffic, he will score thru heavy contact with and-1's, score with offensive rebound put backs, get downhill and seems to live near the basket despite his size. He will guard multiple positions.   [player_tooltip player_id='2535873' first='Julian' last='Blackburne'] Palo Verde   A tough downhill threat is another who loves getting closest to the basket. He has next level body control and will score thru the bump with his toughness. He will fill it up in transition with layups and is competitive on defense.     [player_tooltip player_id='2396138' first='Rashad' last='Ortiz'] Palo Verde   A long scoring guard is one of their future pieces. He is a plus athlete and will rebound, block shots plus get deflections and collect steals. He will make a play for a teammate and hit the three.   [player_tooltip player_id='2249646' first='Talan' last='Speir'] Ben Franklin   The athletic scoring combo guard had some good stretches. He can score with mid-range pulls with high elevation. He will get downhill with a quicker burst and score it inside. He will rise up over the outstretched arms of the defenders using his bounce. He scored 9 points with 2 assists 1 steal and 1 block.   [player_tooltip player_id='2533653' first='Bennett' last='Christensen'] Ben Franklin   A scoring point guard handles a lot of the lead guard role and was guiding the team per usual and can handle ball pressure but was also looking to score. He can take it coast to coast after he rebounds the ball and race up the floor. He shows advanced body control in the lane with contact to score or get to the line. He scored 6 points 7 rebounds 4 assists and 1 steal.   [player_tooltip player_id='2136460' first='Landon' last='Christensen'] Ben Franklin   The sharp shooter of the team had a great showing. He rattled in six triples off the catch with real range and a quick trigger. He was in one of those zones where every shot looked good. He will also score with the floater game and rebound well in his area. He led all scorers with 24 points 4 rebounds 1 assist and 1 steal.   [player_tooltip player_id='2333014' first='Brody' last='Hansen'] Ben Franklin   Their top player off the bench was Brody. He will score it with a little size and a burst to get downhill in traffic. He will box out his man and he can hit the three off the catch. He scored 6 points with 2 rebounds.   [player_tooltip player_id='2786911' first='Logan' last='Stenson'] Florence   One of the more all-around performers was Stenson. The two-sport athlete (A dual threat taller QB) can do almost anything on the floor. He will score with a crossover into a euro step or go behind his back for the layup. He will hit the deep three and then blow by his opponent for the layup. He sees the court well and will collect steals and block shots in bunches. He scored 18 points with 10 rebounds 2 assists 3 blocks and 5 steals.   [player_tooltip player_id='2533435' first='Adrian' last='Taufaasau'] Florence   The high motored power forward will score inside the painted area and is a very active defensive player. He will rebound in and out of his area and alter or block shots. He scored 6 points with 6 rebounds 1 assist 1 steal and 1 block.     [player_tooltip player_id='2786909' first='Brody' last='Ramirez'] Florence   A scoring guard had it all going on in their loss. He scores with tough and-1 takes with his left or right hand. He loves using the floater game, as it is clearly his pet move, he will hit the three and get to the FT line. He scored a team high 21 points with 5 rebounds and 1 steal.   [player_tooltip player_id='2786912' first='Darren' last='Swain'] Florence   A tough undersized point guard can handle some pressure, makes some plays for his teammates and score. He will score getting downhill and gets past his opponents with a burst. He can hit the catch three and scored 8 points with 5 rebounds 1 assist and 1 steal.

I watched three 3A games with the two semi-final games and the 3A finals.