SunDome Shootout Day 1: Impact Guards

I ventured down to Yakima to check out some action at the SunDome Shootout for a couple of days. Here are some of the impact guards on display from the first day of action.    He is a real strong guard who continuously worked to get driving angles and bully his way to the hoop. He mixed up his attacks well too, using his strong base to stop quickly and rise up for short to midrange jumpers, picking his spot pretty well from outside, and really lit it up in the second half to help Glacier Peak secure the win.     Nagel has really been an improved jump shooter this season, and it showed with some tough midrange shots against West Valley. But he also showed off some impressive ability to finish at tough angles inside, get some crafty reverses to go, and did a great job in the pick and roll to patiently work it, find late windows for passes, and made some great reads to take it all the way himself.     Birley was probably the top performer of the day, and the thing that really stood out with his game was his ability to elevate over defenders and use his size and length to finish in the paint. Whether it was stopping and popping for short jumpers or floaters, stretching beyond defenders' reach at the rim, or simply rising above the defense on drives, he was all over the game. He also worked to the line a ton in a hard-fought game.     The quick guard made an early impact with his prodding offensively and finding some key passes. Later on, he got going with the jumper, showing some extended range from 3-point.     He did a great job early on, passing up tough shots off the catch and finding quick actions to get better shots. Passed up a few tough ones off the catch, and then either got a ball screen or worked a handoff to get cleaner looks and bury some shots outside.     Stevens had a strong game in a loss to Lynden. He finished with 15 points and showed a pretty good ability to create space off the dribble from the start of the game. Did well to keep defenders on their heels, bringing the ball down, and then did really well to get them turning before finding his spot at the elbow to pull up. Used fakes and pivots well, and played pretty on balance while attacking around the paint.     McCann is a strong guard who shoots the three at a good clip, and yesterday was showing off his strength in the paint and ability to draw fouls. He does well to play off two, use shot fakes in traffic, and goes up strong around bodies. He also showed off some deft passing early on in the loss to Selah, zipping a pass through the defense from the top, and picking out the roller in a tight window to the hoop.     Pepper is a skilled guard who showed off a good array of space-creating moves and some nice strength on his downhill drives. Had multiple midrange shots created from attacking angles and getting solid bumps on defenders, was smart in identifying space, and in general, had great court awareness to find teammates and get the ball to space.     Quincy opened up the day at the SunDome with an 11 a.m. game against Fort Vancouver, and Bierlink opened up the day getting box and one'd from the tip. He fought through it to have a strong first quarter, making great reads and decisions, but was stifled in the second quarter. He found it again in the second half, really focusing on getting to the paint, working to the foul line, and finding ways to create space in the midrange. He finished with 26 points.

I ventured down to Yakima to check out some action at the SunDome Shootout for a couple of days. Here are some of the impact guards on display from the first day of action.