Clash of the Titans: 15U Guards

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Not to be out-done by the upperclassmen or their frontcourt mates, the rising sophomore guards were pivotal to their team's success. Here are six who stood out: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='3421041' first='Ryder' last='Lacey'] | G 5'10 WeR1 UAA </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sixth of six players for WeR1, Lacey brought some firepower off the bench. He initially scored on hustle plays, getting the line off of a putback and going coast-to-coast after a steal. Next, he extended his range to beyond the arc. Lacey cashed in a couple catch-and-shoot triples and another one off-the-bounce. Finally, he got behind the defense for transition buckets that closed things out. 18p 4r 1s </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karter Lowry | G 5'10 K-Low Elite 3SSB </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With each make, Lowry gained a bit more confidence and spaced the floor a little more. A floater off of a closeout and a pull-up two turned into automatic catch-and-shoot threes. The son of NBA-champion Kyle Lowry, he didn't hesitate to pull as soon as he saw a slither of daylight. Lowry used his strength to chip in on the glass and to get to the rim as well. 17p 4r </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2973525' first='Austin' last='Pitts'] | G 6'2 [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill'] UAA </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On a team loaded with quality guards, Pitts stood out with his ability to make simple winning plays. He deflected passes that resulted in takeaways that kick-started transition offense, including a fastbreak lay for himself. In the halfcourt, Pitts efficiently worked off. He made precise cuts from the corner and curled off of screens for push shots and mid-range jumpers. 10p 3s </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elijah Stanley | G 5'10 Team Select </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Going toe-to-toe against [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill'] UAA, Stanley consistently made things happen for his team to give them a puncher's chance. Both of his feet were habitually in the paint, setting up down there before spraying to shooters in the corner or dropping the ball off to the dunker spot. And although Stanley drove to pass, he managed to knock down a pull-up three and drew fouls that earned him trips to the free throw line. 10p 4a 1s</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2868579' first='Shyheim' last='Starling'] | G 6'3 WeR1 UAA </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The big guard played an outsized role in his team's comeback win Saturday morning. He anchored their defensive effort with blocked shots at the rim and steals out in space. Starling also crashed the boards for second-chance points. Then in the second half, he got to it off-the-dribble. His ability to operate at the second level of the defense led to jumpers and free throws for him or baskets for his teammates. 18p 8r 2a 3s 2b </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2882931' first='Brayden' last='Whitaker'] | G 6'0 [program_tooltip program_id='2077005' first='Team' last='Thrill'] UAA</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Timely plays from Whitaker gave Thrill 15s the edge on Saturday morning. He got things rolling with a pair of three, the first on a spot-up and the second on a baseline out-of-bounds play. His other baskets came from him out-hustling everyone. Whitaker took the top off the defense in transition, plus an and-1. Then when it was time to get stops down the stretch, he was a magnet for basketball. Whitaker came up with rebounds and loose balls for turnovers and additional transition points that sealed the deal. 16p 2r 2a 3s </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->