Aliquippa-Canevin Players Who Performed

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Saturday afternoon, Prep Hoops PA took in the Aliquippa-Bishop Canevin PIAA AA Western Semifinal contest at Peters Twp. It was a hotly contested defensive battle until the third quarter, when Aliquippa turned up the heat on defense, pushed the pace and utilized a total team effort on that defensive side of the ball to come up with a 67-56 win. The 'Quips are one step from the state final and take on a hot Otto-Eldred team in the Western AA Final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Donovan Walker</strong> | G | Aliquippa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To borrow a phrase from legendary soccer announcer Ray Hudson, Walker was "Magisteeeeeerrrriiiialll" today. He played very well on offense, moving the ball fluidly, finding space off the ball, hitting open looks and creating shots of his own off the bounce. He's a physical guard who uses his football strength and agility to be a lockdown defender. He did his job locking up Champine--Many of his points came after switches off Walker. Walker will be paramount to the mountain that the Quips have left to climb to get to the final. If he can replicate this masterful performance, he'll have Aliquippa in position to win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='991410' first='Cameron' last='Lindsey']</strong> | F | Aliquippa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another freakishly athletic football star who doubles as a top level basketball player for the 'Quips. The 6'2"-200LB athlete was a contributor on offense but was a menace on defense. He's not a traditional big man who can use a long wingspan to block shots---but what he lacks in that department as opposed to a 6'6" forward, he makes up with incredibly quick lateral movement and timing to block or force adjustments to shots coming in and around the paint. He battles for boards and boxes out well. He's another 'Quip who will have to be lock down on defense and play his role on offense for them to handle OE. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1186057' first='Shea' last='Champine']</strong> | G | Bishop Canevin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A masterful senior season for Champine came to an end today but he should be proud of what he and his teammates achieved. After Canevin lost its entire core to graduation or transfer, Champine stepped up and was one of the most dominant players in the South Hills, regardless of classification. An electric scorer who turned in 25+ points on the regular, he did as much heavy lifting as he possibly could to get the Crusaders in a position to compete. Inside, outside, you name it, he did it. He finished with 27 on the day and got a standing ovation when he got removed with just seconds to play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jason Cross</strong> | F | Bishop Canevin</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another multi-sport athlete who has respect on the football field, Cross stepped up on offense today to be the second key contributor. He attacked the basket well and was able to break down defenders off the bounce to get to the rim. There will be some big expectations on his shoulders next year to keep the bus going full steam ahead at Canevin as he will likely become the primary scoring option. He can hit it from the mid range and handles the ball well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Quentin Goode</strong> | G | Aliquippa</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5'9" Goode is another athlete for the Quips who can move the ball in the halfcourt and is an active defender. He hit his shots as a part of a balanced attack that saw four Aliquippa players go over 10 pts on the day. Goode created havoc with his active hands and quick feet on defense. He could end up being a key X-Factor in the next game vs OE. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->