OPEN Semi/Finals Forward Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wednesday March 4th and Saturday, March 7th I watched the semi finals and finals of the OPEN bracket.&nbsp;<strong>Sunnyslope Vikings&nbsp;</strong>defeated&nbsp;<strong>Basha Bears 67-64&nbsp;</strong>in OT,&nbsp;<strong>St. Mary's Knights&nbsp;</strong>defeated&nbsp;<strong>Millennium Tigers 66-64</strong>&nbsp;in the OPEN Final-4 with&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/GreggRosenberg1/status/2029376218387341527">one of the best shots I have seen in years</a>&nbsp;and finally&nbsp;<strong>Sunnyslope</strong>&nbsp;defeated&nbsp;<strong>St. Mary's 60-51</strong>&nbsp;in the OPEN Final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the Forward Standouts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All the stats are official.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Here were the Standouts</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1555179' first='Darius' last='Wabbington'] Sunnyslope (Pictured)&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most gifted player in the AIA of any big man is clearly Wabbington. He has incredible size with soft hands and a feel. He scores it every way with threes off the catch, mid-range jumpers, fall aways, hook shots, dribble drives and is very crafty to play with his back to the basket. He is also a very good passer and scored 12 in the semis and 8 points 6 rebounds 3 assists and 1 steal in the Finals.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1612468' first='Cameron' last='Williams'] St. Mary's&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another unreal talent is headed to<strong> Duke </strong>and made the prestigious McDonald's AA Game. He put on a show in the semis with 23 points and 10+ rebs with 2 blocks and in the Finals he scored 23 points with 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. He scores it with threes off the catch or pull, high level dunks, offensive rebound put backs, pull-ups from mid to the three, quick rip thrus, fall aways and he is a top of the food chain shot blocker. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150822' first='Cameron' last='Holmes'] Millennium</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The University of<strong> Arizona </strong>commit had a phenomenal career. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in the class and rebounds exceptionally well and collects steals. He will score with coast to coast takes after he takes the ball off the glass and rim running rattling dunks. He finished with 10 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2249943' first='Lleyton' last='Leonard'] Basha&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A hyper athletic guard/wing will score it every way and plays and defends multiple positions. He takes very long strides to the basket and will rip thru with his left and get downhill plus hit the three off the catch. He will also throw it down way above the rim on the break. His ability to defend and make shots makes him a potential 3 and D in college. He had 18 points in the semis.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1482164' first='Desean' last='Middlebrook'] Basha&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward with a top of the food chain motor. He will score with offensive rebound put backs and rebounds in and way out of his area. He will hit the three off the catch and got hot in the semis with three from deep. He scored 19 points with nearly 10 rebounds. He has steadily improved his skill every year.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2370259' first='Terry' last='McKinney III'] Millennium</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A hyper athletic defensive forward who can play and defend multiple positions on the court. He will score it with tough takes to the basket and plays way above the rim dunks on the break. He is a good passer and will collect steals and grab rebounds out of his area. He scored 7 points.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1482163' first='Cristian' last='Simmons'] Sunnyslope</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A defensive forward who can play a few positions for the Champs. He will score with offensive rebound put backs, threes off the catch and he had a huge offensive rebound put back in OT. He rebounds well, will block shots and he is a good outlet passer. He scored 10 points in the semis and 4 points 5 rebounds and 2 assists in the Final.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1758975' first='Nash' last='Parmley'] Sunnyslope</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger wing forward was the perfect glue guy all year long. He uses his size to score with offensive rebound put backs, dribble drives and catch threes with a super quick release as he squares up perfectly to the basket. He scored 5 points in the semis and 5 in the Final.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2143671' first='Ashton' last='Musser'] St. Mary's</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A big man with size and girth. He has soft hands and will score with tough layups in traffic and offensive rebound put backs and holds his ground on defense using his build, length and frame. He scored 4 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->