Higley holds on to beat Casteel in opener

On Thursday, Dec 4th I watched the match-up of 6A Higley Knights hosting the 6A Casteel Colts. Both teams will be in the 6A playoffs and it was a great early test for each program.   I checked out two levels with about a half of the JV and full Varsity.   All stats are unofficial.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the standouts on the night </h2>   Junior Varsity Game (Higley won)   [player_tooltip player_id='3176776' first='Mike' last='Mensah'] Higley   A long wing forward who is a fluid mover. He rebounds well in and out of his area and covers a lot of ground on defense. He will score with offensive rebound put backs, threes off the catch and plays the passing lanes which lead to layups. He is also a sneaky good passer.    [player_tooltip player_id='2640074' first='Asher' last='Gloor'] Higley    The younger brother of senior star [player_tooltip player_id='1482211' first='Noah' last='Gloor'] is a true point guard who handles it well. He moves the ball about as well as you can and just makes it easy to play with as he gets the ball out of his hands quickly. He will get a step on his defender and hit the three like his older brother.   Varsity Game (54-53 Higley won)   [player_tooltip player_id='1552394' first='Andre' last='Tyler'] Higley   A high wire act is a hyper athletic guard who makes big time dunks on the break. He takes long strides to the basket and will score with tough layups in traffic plus hit the three off the catch or pull. He scored 7-9 points.    [player_tooltip player_id='2194474' first='Isaiah' last='Rider IV'] Higley   A top notch point guard who can score it. He moves the ball like you should and he is stout on defense. He actually had the play of the game where he deflected the ball away from a possible Casteel last second shot with his length and huge IQ for the game. He shoots it with deep range and plays within himself. He scored 5-7 points.    [player_tooltip player_id='2194805' first='Marquice' last='Pless'] Higley (Pictured)   A tough wing forward who rebounds the ball and will take it coast to coast. His first step in the half court is tough to handle and he is clearly one of the better rebounders pound per pound in the freshmen class. He makes smart reads and he led the team in scoring with around 15 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='1482211' first='Noah' last='Gloor'] Higley    A scoring lead guard with in the building range. He launches his threes from the volleyball line and his release is about as quick as anyone's in the state. He is a good passer and fights hard on defense. He scored around 10 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='2107225' first='Mike' last='McIntyre'] Higley    The big man will control the paint with rebounding and altering or blocking shots. He will run the floor and score it inside the paint with reverse layups and backdoor dunks. His presence in the middle alone helps them on defense. He scored around 5 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='2639654' first='Kaden' last='Adams'] Higley    One of the top freshmen shooters in the state did exactly that. He fired away in a blink of an eye. He catch and shoots it quickly and has no conscience to keep shooting. He will rebound and scored with tip ins and he made some key threes late in the game to win it. He scored around 11 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='2552787' first='Landen' last='Martineau'] Casteel    A pure point guard who directs the offense for the Colts. He can whip it up the court and will drive and kick it and always seems to find a teammate. He will score with mid-range pull-ups, step thrus and threes off the catch. He scored around 7-9 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='1938807' first='Makenzie' last='Lazor'] Casteel   A bigger forward will score it from inside and out. He will hit the three off he catch, fall away from his defender and score with tough buckets inside. He gets on the glass and will score with offensive rebound put backs. He is finishing his groove as a prospect and scored 12 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='2295695' first='Matt' last='Crowder'] Casteel    A bigger two-way defensive guard will slow down his opponents. He will collect steals in bunches and score with reverse layups with advanced body control with either hand, hit the three and he is a phenomenal rebounder for a guard. He scored 9-11 points.     [player_tooltip player_id='1571924' first='Sir' last='Myles'] Casteel   A scoring lead guard is a tough on-ball defender. He will collect steals and lay it in on the other end. He can score it on the break and he will hit the tough pull-up three with a quicker trigger and high elevation or off the catch.   [player_tooltip player_id='2533459' first='Kutter' last='Workman'] Casteel    A power forward who is tough inside to bang with bigger players and rebounds in and out of his area. He will score with layups inside or get fouled and he will hit mid-range jumpers, which looks to be his comfort spot. He scored around 6-8 points.

On Thursday, Dec 4th I watched the match-up of 6A Higley Knights hosting the 6A Casteel Colts. Both teams will be in the 6A playoffs and it was a great early test for each program.