Five Takeaways from Rock Canyon vs. Overland
Rock Canyon has finished off games
The story of these two teams is they’ve both been playing a brand of basketball that’s been entertaining with nail-biting finishes, only one thing: Rock Canyon just so happens to finish these close games. Rock Canyon has had an interesting start of the year with convincing wins against then No.1 George Washington and Mountain Vista, but has also managed to win closer games against Liberty and Eaglecrest. Thursday night against Overland was no different as it was closely contested from start to finish but a dominant third quarter was too much to overcome. This team has had their moments where momentum looks as if it’s shifting, but they’ve shown a resilient push to win games, they’ll be battle tested as they head to California for the Pacifica Clash next weekend.
Tightly contested game, until a strong third quarter
Heading into the game, while they have a talented core headed by Daijon Smith, Tucson Redding and Goy Wang Jr. many questioned if Overland would have what it takes to compete with the top team in the state. For three of the quarters they did, but the third quarter was the quarter that ultimately lost the game for the Trailblazers. After a closely contested first quarter, the Jaguars were up 13-10, the second quarter was a quarter of balance for both teams as they were up by six going into the half with momentum on the Trailblazers side, then came the third quarter. The third quarter is when the Jaguars made their move as they made adjustments that had them up by as much as 11 points after Jaylen Eikenberg knocked down a 3-pointer. The Trailblazers made a late push but the third quarter was just too much to overcome as the Jaguars won 62-56 and remain undefeated.
Overland’s Schedule will prepare them for the season
With the loss, Overland is now 0-2 on the season, but, their schedule is a bit of a gift and a curse. Their schedule to start out the year is arguably the most difficult in the state as their first five games of the year is Regis, Rock Canyon, George Washington and Thunderridge before they head out to Leas Vegas for the Tarkanian Classic. They couldn’t manage to win their first two games but having a strong schedule to start out the year and play a highly contested game against the top team in the state should prepare them for a solid year and have them ready come conference time. They have one of the strongest conferences in the state so each night will present itself a new challenge that this team looked ready for when Rock Canyon barely squeaked by on Thursday night. Overland will be a team that each team will have to play their best against each night.
The Three Musketeers
If you’ve gone to a Rock Canyon game this year, the three players that have stood out from those games have been three seniors: Sam Masten, Tyson Gilbert and Blake Williams. Thursday’s game was much more of the same. While Overland’s defense was stout for the majority of the game and Senior guard Tucson Redding tried his best to get his team a win as he finished with 18 points, but, these three righted the ship and secured the victory as they’ve done all year. Masten led all scorers with 21 points and was aggressive all night getting to the rim and keeping the defense honest. Gilbert and Williams finished with 14 points apiece and contributed on the defensive end as well. As long as these three are playing well, the Jaguars are in good hands.
Where to go from here?
For Overland, it simple–Up. While I’m sure they would’ve wanted different results, playing against two of the more talented teams in the state and losing by such a small margin is a token to their off season work. They’re a team that felt as if they underachieved last year but they’ve seemed to have bought into the system and are competing each night. They had a few mistakes to end the game like allowing a big third quarter run, not running shooters off the three-point line, or missing free throws with the game on the line, but, they’ve fought hard in games and close to a win.
For Rock Canyon, although they sit at 5-0, I feel as if their best basketball is still ahead of them. They’ve started games out slow and haven’t gotten out to as big a lead as you’d expect from a team this talented. Although they win those games and finish strong, having every player at their best for the entirety of the game is something I feel as if they’re close to doing. When we see that team, watch out 5A.