Central Cali's D1 Section Playoffs: SJM v. BCHS Standouts

Central, CA - This past Tuesday, February 17th, I attended the Central Section Division 1 quarterfinal game between #4 seed Bakersfield Christian Eagles and #5 seed San Joaquin Memorial Panthers of Fresno in a rematch game from the Classic at Damien Consolation semifinals in the Gold Division, which saw the Eagle win by a score of 67 to 52, which is why BCHS earned the four seed over the Panthers. To have this match-up in the quarterfinals was a gift for basketball fans, but not necessarily the right seeding by the Section playoff committee. Either way, this anticipated rematch was expected to be a great one, and it delivered and then some, as I would say it has been game of the year in the Section with only the Section championships left to play. The Panthers came out firing and built up a 12 point lead going into half, 35 to 23, behind the stellar shooting of [player_tooltip player_id='3072422' first='Sajjin' last='Sidhu'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2932601' first='Ty' last='Schalk'], accounting for 27 of the team's 35 points. The second half would tell a different story, as [player_tooltip player_id='2646533' first='Taiwo' last='Daramola'], who was out most of the first half after picking up two fouls within the first six minutes of the game, had a big half of play. Braylen Smith would also heat up and put on a scoring clinic, going for 15 of his game-high 20 points after the half. Daniel Gutierrez would hit a huge corner three to tie the game with 3:30 left in regulation and it went back and forth from there. Smith connected on one of two free throws to get the lead to 61 to 59, where it would end up after a quick catch and shoot miss from Schalk ended the game. In this article I look at 8 players that had standout showings by positions: guards, wings, and forwards. I discuss how they played in the game and their relevant statistics, which are my own personal statistics.   Bakersfield Christian Eagles 61 San Joaquin Memorial Panthers (Fresno) 59   Guards:   Braylen Smith (6'1 | 2028) - Bakersfield Christian    Smith has been the driving force scoring the ball from the perimeter for the Eagles this season, which has gone up a notch since his return from the thigh injury that kept him out for nearly a month after the Classic at Damien. Smith came up huge in the second half of the Division 1 quarterfinal game against the Panthers, scoring 15 of his game-high 20 points after the intermission. The Eagles were down by 12 points going into halftime, 35 to 23, and it was looking like it might be a long night for BCHS. Smith went to work in the 3rd quarter, showing the handles and moves to shake his defender, with the use of the crossover, hesitation, behind-cross, and toss-cross to create space, great lift and body control on the mid-range jumper, and the creativity to score at the basket among size and height in the paint, contorting his body to evade attempts to block his shot and finishing with some dazzling buckets throughout the second half. It started on the defensive end for the Eagles, with Smith being a key part of the perimeter ball pressure, which was evident in his 3 steals that led to transition points or assists for Smith. He also displayed his court vision, decision making, and court awareness, finding the open teammates off the drive and kick pass, or finding his bigs in the paint on the drop off pass or out of the pick and roll action, which led to him dishing out 5 assists. Smith has shown he is one of the best lead guards in the 2028 class in the Section, and he had that skill set on full display in the quarterfinals to help lead his team to the win and advancing to take on top seed St. Joseph of Santa Maria on Thursday.   Caiden Jackson (6'1 | 2027) - Bakersfield Christian    Jackson has been the calm during the storms that the Eagles have weathered this season, from the start of the year up to the quarterfinal match-up against San Joaquin. Jackson hit two big threes in the first quarter to help keep his team close going into the second quarter, 18 to 16. Jackson showed his growth as a reliable perimeter shooter with another 3-ball down the stretch in the 4th quarter, as the game was back and forth the final 3 minutes of play. Jackson scored all 9 of his points on three pointers, connecting on three throughout the game, which was nearly half of the team's total of 7 threes for the game. In addition to his timely shooting, Jackson was up to his usual self on the defensive end, as he would lead the charge in the second half for the Eagles, who limited Schalk and Sidhu, the Panthers top perimeter scorers, to only 9 points combined in the second half. Jackson had a pair of steals and several assists to turn defense to offense and showcased his play-making ability in the open court, as well as the half-court setting, finishing with 4 assists. Jackson is a good positional rebounder, which allows him to push the ball up the court or set the offense up for second chance scoring opportunities, pulling down 5 rebounds in the process. Jackson is emerging as one of the top two-way guards in the Section, and his improved shooting from beyond the arc is making him a player to keep an eye on over the next year.   [player_tooltip player_id='3072422' first='Sajjin' last='Sidhu'] (6'3 | 2026) - San Joaquin Memorial    Sidhu has been the leading scorer for the Panthers this season, and he came out firing in San Joaquin's quarterfinal D1 match-up against Bakersfield Christian. Sidhu displayed great off ball movement, the handles and moves to create space from his defender, using the crossover, hesitation, and spin-move to get open looks off the bounce, and the creativity to score around the basket with the Euro-step and reverse lay-ups. Sidhu had a strong opening quarter with 8 points and a pair of threes, followed by another 8 points second quarter and a buzzer beater to go into the half, to help his team build a double-digit lead of 35 to 23. The Eagles focused on limiting Sidhu in the second half, and forced the ball out of his hand, as he was limited to a three pointer in the second half for a team-high of 19 points for the game. Sidhu displayed the ability to score on and off the ball at a high clip, the accuracy to score in volume to give his team a boost on the scoreboard, and the poise to get to his shot spots to improve his shooting efficiency. Sidhu will be relied upon to keep his scoring numbers up if the Panthers want to make a run in the state playoffs, which begin on March 3rd.   [player_tooltip player_id='2932601' first='Ty' last='Schalk'] (6'2 | 2027) - San Joaquin Memorial    Schalk, similar to Sidhu, has been one of the team's consistent scoring threats, and he showcased the growth in his game, controlling the flow on the offense with the ball in his hands, setting up the offense, and stepping it up on the defensive end, highlighting his improved foot-speed, active hands, and instincts to get steals and turn defense to offense, evident with his 3 steals. Offensively, Schalk has become much more than a catch and shoot spot-up player, evident with his rip-through off the dribble pull-up mid-range jumper from the baseline, along with the 3-ball off the bounce. Despite the progress in his offensive skill-set, Schalk displayed his strength as a marksman from beyond the arc, connecting on 3 threes in the first half, and a pair of clutch threes in the second half to help his team hold on to the lead as long as possible. Despite the impressive shooting display of Schalk, who would score 17 points, connecting on 5 threes, the Panthers would fall short to the Eagles, 61 to 59, and will wait for the state regional playoff seedings to drop on March 1st.   Wings:   Owen Yurosek (6'4 | 2027) - Bakersfield Christian    Yurosek has brought the mental and physical toughness to the court since joining the team after making a run to the state title game in football, and that grit and clutch play came up big time in the first half of the Division 1 quarterfinal game. When the rest of the team, besides Caiden Jackson, struggled to score the ball in the first half, it was Yurosek that chipped in a team-high for the half of 9 points to help keep his team in the fight. Yurosek added a three pointer in the third quarter to finish with 12 points for the game to go along with 5 rebounds. He moves well off the ball to get open looks from the 3-point line off the catch, has the physical build to score through contact around the basket, and provides second chance scoring opportunities off the offensive glass. Yurosek can defend various positions and also makes quality reads from the high-post or from the low-block to cutting teammates. Shows up big time in key moments of games and his first half was critical in keeping the team close enough to mount a comeback.     Domonick Olanrewaju (6'6 | 2028) - San Joaquin Memorial    Olanrewaju has been one of the more important sophomores to their team's overall success this season, scoring the ball, providing an interior presence when needed, as well as the skill to operate off the perimeter, and impacts the game in various ways. Olanrewaju was key on the boards, especially in the first half when Spees had to be sidelined due to foul trouble. Olanrewaju crashes the boards on both ends, gets his team multiple shot possessions on the offensive glass, limits opponents to single possession shots, and pulled down a team-high 8 rebounds in the loss to the Eagles. Olanrewaju added 7 points, connecting on one 3-pointer, but he picked up a quick 3 fouls in the first two minutes of 3rd quarter play, and that forced him to not play as aggressive as he normally does, which is what he brings to the Panthers squad this season. Olanrewaju also had 3 assists to show he can make the right reads up the court or from the top of the key in the half court setting. He will be called upon to up his scoring totals next season and he has the tools to be a more consistent scoring threat.      [player_tooltip player_id='2932197' first='Jaxson' last='Silverstrom'] (6'2 | 2027) - San Joaquin Memorial   Silverstrom, similar to Caiden Jackson for the Eagles, is a jack of all trades for the Panthers, as he is one of its top defenders, rebounders, steals generator, and will get on the ground for the 50/50 ball. Silverstrom had a balanced game of 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists to display his ability to impact the game in several ways. Silverstrom moves well off the ball, is effective with the 3-ball off the catch, gets good lift on the mid-range jumper, and is able to absorb and score through contact at the basket. Silverstrom had 5 of his 10 points in the final frame and did what he could to help his team get the lead back, but it was not in the cards down the stretch.    Forward:    [player_tooltip player_id='2646533' first='Taiwo' last='Daramola'] (6'8 | 2027) - Bakersfield Christian    Daramola has been one of the best players in the Section all season, showing growth in his mid-range jumper efficiency, to go with his elite shot blocking and rebounding, as well as high flying dunks off the lob or off the rebound. Despite his dominant play this season, Daramola found himself with two fouls less than 6 minutes into the game and was forced to sit the bench the remainder of the half, which was a huge factor in the Panthers building the 12 point lead. Daramola made a statement in the second half, scoring all of his points and getting all his rebounds after the intermission, going for 9 points and 6 rebounds, to go with one block and one steal. He scored 7 points in the final quarter, as the Eagles would erase a 6-point deficit going into the fourth quarter, which matched teammate Braylon Smith's seven fourth quarter points to help wrestle the lead from the Panthers and pull out the win. Daramola also helped keep [player_tooltip player_id='2830146' first='Parker' last='Spees'] in check in the paint, using his physical advantages to enforce his game around the basket, and force Spees into tough shots or passes back out to the perimeter. Daramola's presence in the second half impacted the Panthers' confidence to attack the basket, as it would often settle for threes instead of getting paint touches.

Central, CA - This past Tuesday, February 17th, I attended the Central Section Division 1 quarterfinal game between #4 seed Bakersfield Christian Eagles and #5 seed San Joaquin Memorial Panthers of Fresno in a rematch game from the Classic at Damien Consolation semifinals in the Gold Division, which saw the Eagle win by a score of 67 to 52, which is why BCHS earned the four seed over the Panthers. To have this match-up in the quarterfinals was a gift for basketball fans, but not necessarily the right seeding by the Section playoff committee. Either way, this anticipated rematch was expected to be a great one, and it delivered and then some, as I would say it has been game of the year in the Section with only the Section championships left to play. The Panthers came out firing and built up a 12 point lead going into half, 35 to 23, behind the stellar shooting of Sajjin Sidhu Sajjin Sidhu 6'4" | CG/PG San Joaquin Memorial | 2026 CA-N and Ty Schalk Ty Schalk 6'2" | CG/SG San Joaquin Memorial | 2027 CA-N , accounting for 27 of the team's 35 points. The second half would tell a different story, as Taiwo Daramola Taiwo Daramola 6'7" | C Bakersfield Christian | 2027 State CA-S , who was out most of the first half after picking up two fouls within the first six minutes of the game, had a big half of play. Braylen Smith would also heat up and put on a scoring clinic, going for 15 of his game-high 20 points after the half. Daniel Gutierrez would hit a huge corner three to tie the game with 3:30 left in regulation and it went back and forth from there. Smith connected on one of two free throws to get the lead to 61 to 59, where it would end up after a quick catch and shoot miss from Schalk ended the game. In this article I look at 8 players that had standout showings by positions: guards, wings, and forwards. I discuss how they played in the game and their relevant statistics, which are my own personal statistics.