Centennial at Arizona College Prep: Game Standouts

Made the trip over to Arizona College Prep as they matched up with Centennial in an early-season test. ACP was coming off a back-to-back, while Centennial hit the floor for the first time this year, giving both squads a chance to show where they're at out of the gate. Good energy on both sides, plenty of possessions to evaluate, and a few players who immediately popped. Here are the standouts from the match-up.     Picked up 94 feet and made it tough for the ball handler to get into anything, showing strong on-ball pressure throughout. Offensively, he had the ball on a string and created clean looks for himself, knocking down threes and mid-range shots with good lift. His defense is what really set the tone, opening up transition chances and fueling his overall impact.     Doing what he does best — getting downhill and finishing through contact. He brought strong athletic energy with momentum-changing dunks that lifted his team. Added to that, he knocked down shots from deep, and when he's shooting it the way he did in this game, he becomes incredibly tough to guard. He looks set for a big senior year.       A really good shooter who knocked down tough shots all night and stayed efficient within the offense. He controlled the tempo, made the right reads, and was active on the glass. In transition, he delivered big defensive plays — including multiple blocks off the backboard. The back court of him and Rios is a dangerous, scrappy, shot-making duo that will cause problems all season long.     Knocked down the three off the catch at a good rate, consistently spacing the floor and making defenses pay when they helped off. Also showed a smooth mid-range game, flashing to the high post and rising up with strong lift on his jumper. He stayed confident in his spots and delivered timely buckets whenever his team needed a boost. Played within himself, didn't force looks, and showed he can be a reliable scoring option from multiple levels.       Got it going late in the second quarter with a smooth mid-range jumper, then opened the second half by drilling a three. Once he sees one fall, he becomes tough to slow down — and this game was a perfect example. After that first make, the game seemed to open up for him. The rim looked huge, he stayed poised, and never once panicked. Just calm, controlled basketball.     Did a strong job getting downhill and collapsing the defense, consistently kicking out to open shooters. Finished through contact on multiple tough takes inside and set the tone with his effort. Scrappy on the defensive end — forced ball-handlers to pick it up several times and disrupted the rhythm of opposing guards     Tough finisher inside — absorbed contact and still managed to get some difficult shots to fall at the rim. Worked the offensive glass extremely well, giving his team valuable second-chance opportunities throughout the night.

Made the trip over to Arizona College Prep as they matched up with Centennial in an early-season test. ACP was coming off a back-to-back, while Centennial hit the floor for the first time this year, giving both squads a chance to show where they're at out of the gate. Good energy on both sides, plenty of possessions to evaluate, and a few players who immediately popped. Here are the standouts from the match-up.