The Super 16 started off with a bang at newly renovated Yates HS. Saw a lot of good play from some teams & a lot growth in some players from last season. Here’s the Day 1 Recap
Spring Woods-55 vs St. Pius X-57
St. Pius opened a few eyes yesterday, do it all forward Stanley Asiegbu(2019) is the glue to his team. He won’t wow you with his measurables, standing at about 6’4, but handles the ball against pressure, rebounds, and is the straw that stirs the drink for St. Pius. He didn’t let the size of Spring Woods bother him, almost finishing with a triple double. A little surprising Spring Woods doesn’t have more chemistry, especially with the 3 best players being seniors. They have to find someone who can give them some consistency from their bench. Their senior back court of Zarzuela and Gibson combined for more than 55% of their points.
St. Pius: Chad Graham 15, Terrell Jenkins 13, Stanley Asiegbu
Spring Woods: Jesse Zarzuela 16, Darian Gibson 14
Sam Houston-27 vs Eisenhower-38
In a game I thought would be a little closer, Eisenhower ran away with it late in the second half. A couple of things that stood about Ike is the fact that they play hard, & everybody knows their role. They have senior leadership & it everybody plays off the Redus twins. 2019 Matthew Barber came up big last night, knocking down some shots, and guarded multiple positions defensively. Sam Houston is trying to figure out life without Kendric Davis. Senior guard Chris Green has the tools to be more aggressive and take games over, but yesterday seemed a little apprehensive to do so. He also was playing with stitches in his hand, so maybe that had something to do with it. When his team moved the ball they seemed to have more of a rhythm, he and TJ Mingo got in the lane & found Earl Beal for a couple of easy layups in the 1st half.
Eisenhower: Matthew Barber 11, Ja’Mere Redus 10
Sam Houston: Kevin Baker 8
Ridgepoint-45 vs Atascocita-46
Back & forth game that came down to the last couple of possessions. Atascocita seems like they have a million guys between 6’1-6’3 and they’re all valuable & play different roles. 6’3 SR guard Nick Gazelas is jack of all trades. He attacked the basket, hit a couple of 3’s, and played tenacious defense. Another 6’3 G, Trey Davenport, is the tough guy. He scored from inside and outside and usually matched up with the biggest player for Ridgepoint. 6’2 sophomore Johnathan Massie was great in transition for Atascocita, & was havoc on the top of their press. Ridgepoint kept the game close due to the hot shooting of 2019’s Derwin Brown & Foly Foshoro, both connecting on three 3’s. Junior Isaiah Leblanc got them timely buckets, & anytime the game was getting away, he went to work offensively. Zach Gonsoulin (2021) also was big for Ridgepoint with his activity, and had a mini flurry in the 2nd half scoring 6 quick points off of full court pressure.
Atascocita: Trey Davenport 11, Nick Gazelas 10
Ridgepoint: Derwin Brown 14, Isaiah Leblanc 13, Foly Foshoro
Yates-60 vs Sam Rayburn-42
In life only 3 things are for sure, death, taxes, & Yates full court press.. They blitzed Sam Rayburn as soon as the ball was tipped. I give Rayburn a little credit, they handled it OK for the most part, but down the stretch, JY was just too much. The turnovers ended up being the downfall for them. Senior guard Kayden Rose had it going from long distance, he looked really good, & is showing that he can be a D2/NAIA level guard. Joquarious Valrie was also letting lit fly, hitting 4 3’s. 2020 g Rubin Jones was the maestro yesterday finishing with 11 assists. Sam Rayburn is one point guard away from being a high octane group. It was hard to see what they really looked like at times because of the Yates pressure. Junior guard Jalen White was his usual self, hitting tough shots, getting to his spots, and being efficient. Xzavion Bordelon (2020) also got busy yesterday, went strong to the rack several times, & proved he can be counted to help with the scoring load.
Yates: Kayden Rose 17, Joquarious Valrie 17, Caleb Solomon 12
Sam Rayburn: Jalen White 16, Xzavion Bordelon 14
Hightower-65 vs Spring-60
This game did not disappoint. Full of fireworks from the very beginning, the gym was buzzing as MVP James Harden showed up to watch Bryce Griggs & company go against Keionte Cornelius & crew. From the gate the young fella Griggs was in his bag, & what I respect about his teammates is at least right now, there’s no resentment or bitterness. Hightower has nice pieces, & they play well together & they defend. They all fly around the ball, & it’s a track meet once they get a turnover. Spring kept it close, but every time they would get within 5-7 points, they’d turn the ball over to give the Canes an easy score. 2019 Christyon Eugene is beyond underrated and undervalued. He handled the pressure yesterday, he hit 3’s, he got to the rim, & he makes the right basketball play. He & Cornelius kept Spring close, until Mykell Robinson’s two back to back Sports Center top 10 dunks!
Hightower: Bryce Griggs 22, Mykell Robinson 12
Spring: Christyon Eugene 24, Keionte Cornelius 14, Torreon Bergeron 11