RHP/Colony State Preview: First Five

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>ONTARIO — The basketball staffs at Colony High and Rolling Hills Prep teamed up once again as the Titans hosted the always-competitive Colony/Rolling Hills Prep State Preview Classic. The 2023 edition of the event featured nine games inside the "Thunderdome" on the Colony campus with some intriguing head-to-head matchups. Below we name our "First Five" performers from the day.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>Brannon Martinsen, Mater Dei</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Monarchs were coming off of a tough week where they dropped a couple league games, lost talented freshman Che Brogan and were without the injured Zach Davidson, but Martinsen took it upon himself to get them back on track. The 6-foot-7 freshman forward scored a game-high 31 points as Mater Dei dominated Crean Lutheran. Martinsen is as versatile of a freshman as you'll find in SoCal - he's a dribble, pass, shoot guy on the perimeter who can also score efficiently around the basket. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='992483' first='Dusty' last='Stromer'], SO Notre Dame</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can always expect some dynamic playmaking when Stromer is involved in a game and the Gonzaga-bound guard didn't disappoint. The senior finished with a game-high 23 points and made a handful of tough, contested jumpers that left defenders shake their heads in disbelief. Stromer has a smoothness and ease to his scoring ability that allows him to make good defenders look average.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='994970' first='George' last='Tupy'], St. Francis</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Golden Knights were in need of a player to step up with the absence of leading scorer and senior leader [player_tooltip player_id='994954' first='Jackson' last='Mosely']. Tupy was the guy who provided the spark. The 6-foot-6 senior forward scored 21 points in St. Francis' overtime win over Fairfax and had a dominant presence inside on both ends of the floor. Tupy was too big and too strong for Fairfax to stop from scoring in the paint and his willingness to crash the offensive boards helped St. Francis to take control of the game in overtime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='994967' first='Immanuel' last='Taylor'], Village Christian</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor's speed, quickness and relentless ability to get into the lane and play-make for himself and teammates overwhelmed the host team as Village Christian defeated Colony, 59-48. The 5-foot-9 senior finished with 17 points and four steals and his ball-hawking on-ball defensive presence against the opposing guards fed into the Crusaders getting out in their transition offense. Taylor is an under-the-radar senior whose talent and confidence make for a productive high school guard.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":4} --> <h4>[player_tooltip player_id='1188984' first='Robert' last='Hinton'], Harvard-Westlake</h4> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The matchup against Rancho Verde - without its 6-foot-11 shot blocker [player_tooltip player_id='1434424' first='Jacob' last='McFarland'] - was the type of game was right in the wheelhouse of [player_tooltip player_id='1188984' first='Robert' last='Hinton']'s skill-set. The Mustangs' high-pressure defense on perimeter players allowed for downhill drives and finishes at the rim, which is exactly what the junior wing excels at. Hinton found himself hitting driving lanes and getting to the rim for high percentage finishes to the tune of 22 points, all of which came in the painted area. The Harvard-commit set the tone early for Harvard-Westlake as they took a convincing 78-59 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->