Prep Hoops 10 Best: Chatfield vs. Arvada West
Chatfield owns the JeffCo League these days. The Chargers entered Wednesday night’s road game at Arvada West with a league win streak that dated back to the end of the 2015 season. Chatfield extended that JeffCo win streak to 19…
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Continue ReadingChatfield owns the JeffCo League these days.
The Chargers entered Wednesday night’s road game at Arvada West with a league win streak that dated back to the end of the 2015 season.
Chatfield extended that JeffCo win streak to 19 straight games with a 78-48 victory over the Wildcats. The Chargers, who moved into the No. 3 spot in our Prep Hoops Colorado 5A Team Rankings this week, led from start to finish.
The Chargers play a suffocating style of defense, one that limited A-West to only one field goal through the first 11 minutes of the game. They press you much of the way and typically have two people jump to the ball. Then they are quick to recover. It all turns into a lot of transition offense for a team full of capable finishers at the rim.
Coach Stephen Schimpeler keeps that kind of pace churning by constantly shuffling a deep bench, with substitutions that come seemingly as fast as hockey line changes.
That combination, added to excellent free-throw shooting and great marksmanship from behind the 3-point line, is a major reason the Chargers are now 10-1 and looking very much like a team that can return to the Final Four.
Here’s a closer look at the game in the Prep Hoops 10 Best:
MVP: Titus Reed, Chatfield
This award could have gone to any number of Chatfield players, but Reed’s energy stood out. He’s long and decently athletic at 6-4 and is constantly working for positioning. He always seems to be around the ball. He had 12 points during a second-quarter run that helped the Chargers rip the game wide open.
Best Offensive Performance: Joe Miks, Chatfield
Though his 12 points don’t jump off the stat sheet, it was the remarkable efficiency on the offensive end that set Miks apart Friday. He was smooth to the basket and got to the line, where he didn’t miss. He scored on a beautiful backdoor cut and constantly made the extra pass. Miks could have scored 25 points Wednesday, but the great efficiency he deployed meant he didn’t need to.
Best Defensive Performance: Alex Beckley, Chatfield
The 6-0 senior injects a good deal of speed into his team’s backcourt, and it manifests itself in many ways. He had several steals Wednesday that turned into immediate offense. He rebounds it well for his size and can become an instant fastbreak once he grabs a rebound.
Play Of The Game
Midway through the first quarter, with both teams trying to find a flow, Miks improvised. He sold his defender on the wing the idea that he was going to jump behind the 3-point line to receive a pass from Beckley. In a flash, he then darted toward the basket before he defender knew what hit him. It wasn’t the best highlight you’ll see all year, but it was a harbinger of the impressive execution to come for the Chargers.
Best Intangibles: Liam Mann, Chatfield
The 6-4 junior set the tone early with his physical play, aggressively attack the smaller Wildcats inside. He’s got soft hands and catches the ball well in the post. He finishes at tough angles against A-West and ran the floor hard.
Best Attacker: Mike Vrabel, Chatfield
The 6-3 guard does a bit of everything for the Chargers, but his improved ability to get to the basket was what really stood out Wednesday. He’s got a subtle head fake that moves defenders off their mark, and he follows with a strong and decisive first step. A-West had a hard time staying in front when Vrabel went to attack the basket.
Best Under-The-Radar Performance: Lukas Maly, Arvada West
Arvada West’s 5-11 continues to be one of the biggest stock risers in his class. Maly led all scorers with 26 points. The best part was, he wasn’t forcing anything, which would have been easy to do on the wrong side of a blowout. Maly caught fire in the third quarter when he knocked down three 3-pointers in the span of just a few possessions. Maly has the look of a player who could add good guard depth for a NAIA or Division III program.
Best Underclassmen: Joseph Call, Arvada West
The 6-3 sophomore scored eight points and showed some promise. He has a good stroke and nice length. He’s got growing to do but has some good natural feel for the game.
The Story Going Forward For Chatfield: Can the Chargers ace the JeffCo again?
Chatfield has won 19 league games in a row and shows no signs of slowing down. They’ve blown the doors off almost everyone this season, including their biggest JeffCo challenger, Lakewood. The Chargers and Tigers will meet again later this season. If Chatfield continues at this pace, it may be playing for another perfect league season.
The Story Going Forward For Arvada West: Who will take a chance on Maly?
Playing second fiddle for much of his career to point guard Luke Neff, who is now at the University of Denver, Maly is now getting the chance to show what he’s all about, and he’s been impressive. His combination of ball-handling ability, shooting ability, court awareness and finishing ability give him the look of a player who can play at the next level. We’d expect his recruiting to pick up.
First quarter
C – Miks layup. 2-0.
C – Mann layup. 4-0.
A – Maly 2/2 FT. 4-2.
C – Mann short-range jumper. 6-2.
C – Miks layup off backdoor cut. 8-2.
C – Miks 2/2 FT. 10-2.
C – Vrabel 1/2 FT. 11-2.
C – Vrabel layup. 13-2.
A – Rogers 3-pointer. 13-5.
C – Mann layup. 15-5.
C – St. Germain 3-pointer. 18-5.
Second quarter
C – Reed layup. 20-5.
C – Reed layup. 22-5.
C – Vrabel 2/2 FT. 24-5.
C – Rumsey transition layup. 26-5.
C – Reed layup. 28-5.
C – Beckley 1/2 FT. 29-5.
C – Reed 0/1 FT. 29-5.
C – Reed 2/2 FT. 31-5.
A – Maly layup. 31-7.
C – Miks layup. 33-7.
A – Call 3-pointer. 33-10.
C – Miks 2/2 FT. 35-10.
A – Maly layup. 35-12.
C – Vrabel layup. 37-12.
C – Mann putback. 39-12.
A – Call 1/2 FT. 39-13.
A – Maly layup. 39-15.
C – Reed putback. 41-15.
C – Rumsey transition layup. 43-15.
C – Reed putback. 45-15.
C – Beckley 2/2 FT. 47-15.
Third quarter
C – Mann 2/2 FT. 49-15.
A – FT. 49-16.
C – ? 51-16.
C – Vrabel layup. 53-16.
C – Miks 2/2 FT. 55-16.
A – Pelon 3-pointer. 55-19.
C – Beckley layup. 57-19.
A – Maly 3-pointer. 57-22.
A – Maly 3-pointer. 57-25.
C – Reed 2/2 FT. 59-25.
A – Maly 3-pointer. 59-28.
C – Reed layup. 61-28.
C – Reed transition layup. 63-28.
A – Maly layup. 63-30.
C – Mann layup. 65-30.
A – Maly runner. 65-32.
Fourth quarter
A – Rogers 3-pointer. 65-35.
A – Maly layup. 65-37.
C – Vrabel 1/2 FT. 66-37.
C – Beckley 1/2 FT. 67-37.
C – Vrabel 1/2 FT. 68-37.
A – Maly 1/2 FT. 68-38.
A – Call putback. 68-40.
A – Spencer layup. 68-42.
C – Mann layup. 70-42.
A – Maly layup. 70-44.
C – Mann layup. 72-44.
C – St. Germain 2/2 FT. 74-44.
C – Beckley steal/layup. 76-44.
A – Call layup. 76-46.
C – Mann putback. 78-46.
A – Spencer layup. 78-48.