Pusch Ridge gets a tough win at Gilbert Christian

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Friday, December 5th I attended the match-up of 3A <strong>Gilbert Christian Knights</strong> hosting the 3A <strong>Pusch Ridge Lions.</strong> The two teams are both top-10 teams in 3A and both teams can make deep playoff runs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Here were the standouts for the Varsity Game </strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Varsity Game</strong> <strong>(55-48 Pusch Ridge won)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1986833' first='Noah' last='McKinney'] Pusch Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized scoring guard scores it and will rebound. He can step back from the three point line off the dribble and hit mid-range jumpers with high elevation, which is definitely his sweet spot. He will score with back door layups and offensive rebound put backs. He will rebound the ball with his bounce and even block shots. He scored 16 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3179337' first='Frankie' last='Lopez'] Pusch Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A newcomer for me is a face-up power forward with a pretty touch from mid-range. He can fall away from his defenders and step out and hit the three. He gets to the free throw line with his activity and he is a very good rebounder in and out of his area. He had a rare double-double with 12 points with 10 rebounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1956213' first='Ben' last='Lambe'] Pusch Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough face-up power forward did most of his work inside the paint. He went out with a sprained ankle and came back in and collected 12 rebounds. He will score with tough left hand layups in heavy traffic and offensive rebound put backs, including some key ones down the stretch. He scored 8 points with three important blocks.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2990865' first='Santino' last='Almazan'] Pusch Ridge&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring lead guard who can play on or off the ball. He will score it with mid-range pull-ups, floaters, fall aways and he gets to the free throw line often with his toughness and quicker handle. He rebounds well in his area and scored 10 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2039491' first='Kamari' last='Stanbury'] Gilbert Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A defensive point guard is one of the top on-ball defenders in 3A with his quick twitch and next level speed. He is always tying to make a play and will often drive and kick it. He will score with threes off the catch and will get to the line with his burst and strength. He may have swiped four steals and had multiple assists with 4 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2773900' first='Colin' last='Burke'] Gilbert Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A dynamic point guard who is quick on quick. He has speed to burn to get past his initial defenders and had multiple steals with his quick feet and hands. He will score with layups with either hand with great open court speed as he simply outraces the opposing team. He scored 12 points.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='3067192' first='Trey' last='Cicerelli'] Gilbert Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring lead guard will let it fly from deep off the catch or pull from the three point line. He has a super quick trigger and gets hot instantly. He will score it in transition and can take the contact well and get a step on a defender for an inside basket. He led the Knights with 16 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2796868' first='Taylor' last='Abrahamson'] Gilbert Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard who moves the ball like you should and will score with dribble drives to the basket and he will catch and shoot from the three point line with a high arc. He rebounds well in traffic for his size and will collect steals. He scored 7 points.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->