SCA vs Valley Christian: Varsity Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday, January 13th I attended the 3A match-up of the <strong>Scottsdale Christian Academy Eagles</strong> vs the <strong>Valley Christian Trojans </strong>at Mesa Community College.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans came in ranked #1 and The Eagles were at #8.&nbsp;The Trojans showed why as they won it 69-56. It was 9-6 after the 1st qtr and 30-21 VC led at halftime. VC started taking control really in the 3rd qtr where they had a 15+ point lead and kind of coasted the rest of the game behind scorching hot shooting from [player_tooltip player_id='1152187' first='Luke' last='Shaw'].&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2><strong>Here were some of the standouts from the game:&nbsp;</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1152187' first='Luke' last='Shaw'] Valley Christian (Pictured right)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A combo guard is one of the top shooters in the state. He proved it on Friday night versus SCA with 31 points on 11-17 from the field. He hit six triples, including one four point play. His ball rotates almost flawlessly and has a deceptively quick first step to burst by his defenders for tough layups. They will try and repeat as state champs behind Luke in 3A. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1379909' first='Carson' last='Grier'] Valley Christian</strong> <strong>(Pictured left)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A bigger point guard with a high feel for the game. He uses his size and skill over his athleticism. He sees the court well to facilitate and he can shoot the three with range. He can also get into the lane on hesitations and score layups with his size over smaller defenders. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1194266' first='Austin' last='Wallace'] Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A strong framed wing is tough and skilled. He can battle with post players inside the trenches and grab rebounds using his strength and length. He can also step out and shoot the three plus score on layups over taller players. He will block shots and he plays bigger than his height suggests.&nbsp;His skill is improving as he is aging. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1162452' first='Grant' last='Woods'] Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first game back for Woods. He transferred over from Gilbert Christian and his size and skill immediately came in handy. He can rebound with bigger players and just his presence alone made it more difficult for SCA to score inside. He is an efficient scorer from inside and can shoot the three off the catch.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1379910' first='Kyle' last='Grier'] Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A face-up forward with skill and a huge IQ. He plays a little bit of both forward spots for the Trojans. He rebounds well in his area and can score on hook shots plus let it fly from well beyond the three point line. He does a couple subtle things each game to help a team win.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caleb Danseizen SG 6'1 2025 Valley Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An extremely strong defensive guard will run through a wall to make a play. He grabs rebounds in and out of his area and hustles for every 50/50 ball. He will often rebound and then throw a strike to a teammate. He plays physical defense on the perimeter and inside and is a good defender versus opposing guards.   </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1153390' first='Michael' last='Fan'] Scottsdale Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A cerebral pure point guard guides the offense. He can score on drives with some tough off balanced floaters with defenders draped over him and layups in traffic. He moves the ball to open teammates and handles pressure well plus is not afraid to get in the paint and board. He will need to probably score more in the bigger games for them to win versus the top ranked teams. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1152192' first='Hunter' last='Wales'] Scottsdale Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A power forward who is an inside and out threat. He cleaned the glass in this contest with length and timing and scored efficiently in the paint. He can step out and hit the three plus grab a board and score on put backs. He had a lot of energy and will need it once they hit the playoffs. He had 15 points and an impressive 14 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1430444' first='Jacob' last='Webber'] Scottsdale Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A taller wing forward with one of the prettier shooting strokes in the class. He loves catching and shooting from the three point line and can rise up from mid-range. He stepped into a three and got himself to the line. He creates just a little and is working on this part of his game and getting stronger for more long term success.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1500800' first='Elijah' last='Williams'] Scottsdale Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top freshman in the West backed it up. He scored 19 points with 10 rebounds. He has good size and supreme athleticism. He scores it a variety of ways with catch threes, mid-range pull-ups off the dribble, he can crossover into a bucket and has real open court speed to race up the court for layups/dunks. He also is a phenomenal defensive player. He is a top of the box type of shot blocker and rebounds anything near him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1035521' first='Adam' last='Mosher'] Scottsdale Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A stronger upper bodied, defensive minded guard. He plays as hard as you would want a role player to play, as he lays it on the line every possession. He can score inside with hook shots and drive to the basket and lay it in. He rebounds on both sides of the court with his sturdy frame and is their glue guy.  </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->