3A Southern: Power Rankings, Key Performers, And January Outlook

Southern Region Power Rankings   1. The Meadows School - 11-5 Overall   2. Virgin Valley - 10-3 Overall   3. Boulder City - 10-7 Overall   4. Green Valley Christian - 10-6 Overall   5. Pahrump Valley - 7-8 Overall   6. Moapa Valley - 4-13 Overall   7. Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas - 3-12 Overall   8. Cristo Rey St. Viator - 0-6 Overall     Stat Leaders   Scoring   1. [player_tooltip player_id='2280840' first='Uzo' last='Nwapa'] - 23.7 PPG (The Meadows School)   2. [player_tooltip player_id='2812190' first='Lucas' last='Gavenda'] - 22.0 PPG (Pahrump Valley)   3. [player_tooltip player_id='2806773' first='Jaxson' last='Bunker'] - 19.6 PPG (Moapa Valley)   4. [player_tooltip player_id='2477814' first='Wake' last='Rolwing'] - 19.6 PPG (Green Valley Christian)   5. [player_tooltip player_id='2806769' first='Nick' last='Madsen'] - 16.1 PPG (Green Valley Christian)   6. Keir Sheppard - 13.6 PPG (Pahrump Valley)   7. Jayden Jrue Orpilla - 13.6 PPG (CASLV)   8. [player_tooltip player_id='2263758' first='Branch' last='Danko'] - 13.5 PPG (Boulder City)   9. [player_tooltip player_id='1817875' first='Grant' last='Moses'] - 13.0 PPG (The Meadows School)   10. Dominic Escobedo - 12.1 PPG (CASLV)     Assists   1. [player_tooltip player_id='2477814' first='Wake' last='Rolwing'] - 4.1 APG (Green Valley Christian)   2. [player_tooltip player_id='2806773' first='Jaxson' last='Bunker'] - 4.1 APG (Moapa Valley)   3. Julian Walls - 3.4 APG (Green Valley Christian)   4. [player_tooltip player_id='3198523' first='Kason' last='Turner'] - 3.3 APG (Boulder City)   5. [player_tooltip player_id='2806769' first='Nick' last='Madsen'] - 3.2 APG (Green Valley Christian)   6. Keir Sheppard - 3.2 APG (Pahrump Valley)   7. [player_tooltip player_id='2898353' first='Tyler' last='Bradshaw'] - 2.7 APG (Boulder City)   8. Caden Briscoe - 2.5 APG (Pahrump Valley)   9. Dean Cootware - 2.5 APG (Green Valley Christian)   10. [player_tooltip player_id='2263758' first='Branch' last='Danko'] - 2.3 APG (Boulder City)     Rebounds   1. [player_tooltip player_id='2280933' first='Levi' last='Randall'] - 9.6 RPG (Boulder City)   2. [player_tooltip player_id='2812190' first='Lucas' last='Gavenda'] - 8.9 RPG (Pahrump Valley)   3. [player_tooltip player_id='2263758' first='Branch' last='Danko'] - 8.5 RPG (Boulder City)   4. [player_tooltip player_id='2806769' first='Nick' last='Madsen'] - 8.2 RPG (Green Valley Christian)   5. Jax Carlton - 6.9 RPG (Moapa Valley)   6. Austin Reese - 6.4 RPG (Moapa Valley)   7. Caden Briscoe - 6.2 RPG (Pahrump Valley)   8. Dean Cootware - 6.1 RPG (Green Valley Christian)   9. [player_tooltip player_id='2806773' first='Jaxson' last='Bunker'] - 6.0 RPG (Moapa Valley)   10. Jacob Gibson - 5.4 RPG (CASLV)     Steals   1. Dean Cootware - 3.6 SPG (Green Valley Christian)   2. Rommel Buenaflor - 2.6 SPG (CASLV)   3. Trae Plein- 2.6 SPG (Pahrump Valley)   4. Jayden Jrue Orpilla - 2.4 SPG (CASLV)   5. Caden Briscoe - 2.3 SPG (Pahrump Valley)   6. Keir Sheppard - 2.3 SPG (Pahrump Valley)   7. [player_tooltip player_id='2806773' first='Jaxson' last='Bunker'] - 2.1 SPG (Moapa Valley)   8. [player_tooltip player_id='2812190' first='Lucas' last='Gavenda'] - 1.9 SPG (Pahrump Valley)   9. Dominic Escobedo - 1.9 SPG (CASLV)   10. [player_tooltip player_id='2898353' first='Tyler' last='Bradshaw'] - 1.8 SPG (Boulder City)     Blocks   1. Jacob Gibson - 2.1 BPG (CASLV)   2. [player_tooltip player_id='2263758' first='Branch' last='Danko'] - 1.5 BPG (Boulder City)   3. Chisom Eze - 1.3 BPG (CASLV)   4. [player_tooltip player_id='2280933' first='Levi' last='Randall'] - .9 BPG (Boulder City)   5. Austin Reese - .8 BPG (Moapa Valley)   6. [player_tooltip player_id='2806769' first='Nick' last='Madsen'] - .6 BPG (Green Valley Christian)   7. [player_tooltip player_id='3199636' first='Noah' last='Lund'] - .6 BPG (Boulder City)   8. Christian Crosby - .5 BPG (Green Valley Christian)   9. Seamus Lemon - .4 BPG (Boulder City)   10. Adewale Adekile - .4 BPG (Green Valley Christian)     *Some stats not available for The Meadows School, Virgin Valley, and Cristo Rey     A Closer Look At The Top 5 Teams   The Meadows School Mustangs are playing some good basketball and currently sit at the top of the 3A Southern Region Power Rankings. They beat a strong Virgin Valley team 69-47 last week and have more tough opponents on the way. A few other big games coming up for them are: Shadow Ridge (1/12), Green Valley Christian (1/16), Boulder City (1/21), and they'll then face Virgin Valley again on the 28th. So far this season, they've relied on players like [player_tooltip player_id='2280840' first='Uzo' last='Nwapa'] (23.7 PPG), [player_tooltip player_id='1817875' first='Grant' last='Moses'] (13.0PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id='2447899' first='Alex' last='Hutchison'] (8.7 PPG) to get the offense going. In addition to that trio, they've also had some underclassmen step up. Sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id='2695186' first='Benjamin' last='Chilton'] is averaging 4.4 PPG, and freshman Terrance Holmes plays with good pace when his number is called. I was also a fan of [player_tooltip player_id='2806804' first='Ryan' last='Kirk']'s play when they played Boulder City. He gets to his spots fairly efficiently and has a high release point that not many defenders can contest.   Virgin Valley is off to a hot start, going 10-3 in their first 13 games. They've handled business for the most part, only falling to Elko (NV), Hurricane (UT), and The Meadows School (as mentioned above). Their big wins have been over: Lowry, Green Valley Christian, and SLAM. Considering their strong guard play from [player_tooltip player_id='2812171' first='Drew' last='Dixon'], [player_tooltip player_id='2277065' first='Elian' last='Pinto'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2348529' first='Corban' last='Waite'], to go with their hard nose play. They are sure to be a team to beat these next few months. Right now, I think their top tests the rest of the month will be against: Snow Canyon (1/12), Green Valley Christian (1/20), and Pahrump Valley (1/23). If they can win a majority of their conference play games they're sure to be in a good spot once February hits.   Boulder City is currently my No. 3 team in the 3A Southern Region. They're led by a pair of guards in [player_tooltip player_id='2898353' first='Tyler' last='Bradshaw'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3198523' first='Kason' last='Turner'] who do a good job facilitating the offense and keeping things organized. I've also liked what I've seen from their forwards, [player_tooltip player_id='2263758' first='Branch' last='Danko'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2280933' first='Levi' last='Randall']. Danko is their workhorse and consistently finds ways to score, while Randall makes his presence felt on the glass, pulling down nearly 10 rebounds per game. Boulder City's top wins have come against SECTA (54–47), Pinecrest Sloan Canyon (57–41), Moapa Valley (71–46), and Chaparral (56–44). While they do have some challenging conference matchups ahead, I expect them to win a strong majority of their remaining January games.   Green Valley Christian has fared pretty well so far in the 3A Southern league. The Guardians feature two of the league's top scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='2477814' first='Wake' last='Rolwing'] (19.6 PPG) and [player_tooltip player_id='2806769' first='Nick' last='Madsen'] (16.1 PPG), and they've already reached double-digit wins on the season. While they've dropped a pair of conference games to Virgin Valley (56–48) and Boulder City (79–50), they've picked up notable wins over Pahrump Valley (65–40), Western (43–39), Moapa Valley (72–59), and CASLV (61–54).The road ahead won't be easy, as Green Valley Christian is set to face Boulder City twice, The Meadows School twice, and Virgin Valley once more. To navigate that stretch successfully, the Guardians will need to lean on strong team defense and continue sharing the ball on offense. If they can steal a couple of those matchups, they should build valuable momentum heading into the postseason.   Pahrump Valley is just below .500 with a 7–8 overall record. They've been led offensively by [player_tooltip player_id='2812190' first='Lucas' last='Gavenda'], who's averaging 22 PPG, while Keir Sheppard is adding 13.6 PPG. Their conference wins have come against CASLV (56–47), Moapa Valley (68–62), and Cristo Rey (80–32). Similar to Green Valley Christian, Pahrump Valley is scheduled to face the top three teams in the region down the stretch. With that in mind, every remaining game carries added weight. Pulling an upset or two off could provide a major confidence boost heading into the playoffs. And I'm sure that they would like to play in the Region Semifinals/Finals, which they are set to host.

Southern Region Power Rankings