Posted On: 12/15/17 11:10 AM
With a heavy amount of hoops going down all over the state and beyond this upcoming weekend, Prep Hoops Idaho takes a look at the top 5 storylines to watch as we make our way through the month of December.
There have been a ton of highlights from a number of prospects in the Gem state already this week, and with an intriguing list of matchups set to take place this weekend, hoop fans in Idaho have plenty to look forward to. Whether it is early season tournaments, top teams facing off against stiff competition or notable trends to keep tabs on regarding some of the state’s best squads, we have you covered in our 5 storylines below.
Tournaments, Tournaments, Tournaments…
A good amount of tournaments are taking place this weekend as most kicked off Thursday and will continue through the next couple of days. A lot of prep hoop fans in Idaho will have their eyes on the Preston tournament as it features Sky View (UT), Century, Rocky Mountain, Bonneville, Capital, Rigby and Twin Falls. A number of these teams feature some top talent in the state including the hosts Preston with Brayden Parker, Derek Wadsworth and Chance Hart, but Century’s Deshun Harwell has made a splash early on this season for his team as well as Coleton Adamson. Tyler O’Donnell is always one to watch with regards to Rocky Mountain as well.
Over in Green River, Wyoming, Grace, West Side and Bear Lake are all competing in the Green River Tournament while Hillcrest and Sugar-Salem are representing in the Star Valley Tournament in Star Valley, Wyoming. In Nampa, Idaho the Elite 8 tournament will take place where Columbia, Homedale, Fruitland, Skyview, Nampa and Wood River will play. Some exciting match ups will go down in all of these tournaments over the next few days so be sure to catch and follow the action.
What Will Slade Dill Do Next?
The standout player for Dietrich has already posted a triple-double (12 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) and a double-double (26 points, 14 rebonds) this week in two straight wins for his team. Next up Dill and his squad will be a game against Declo on Saturday, a 2A team that is currently 3-0, this one should be a great physical style game.
Will Boise High Keep Up The Defense?
We have already pointed out the incredible defensive play coming from the Boise High Braves as head Manny Varela continues to get the most out of his group on the defensive end night in and night out. On Saturday, the Braves will look to keep it up as they will face Meridian on the road in what should be an interesting game. Boise has held their opponents 43.4 points per game while Meridian has averaged 63.3 points per game.
Prospects a plenty in this one featuring Paul Pennington, Lucas Centeno, Cole Alton and Emmitt Plummer for Boise, while Meridian’s Javen Woodall and Spencer Fair are also two to watch for the Warriors. Boise enters the contest 6-0 while Meridian is 5-3.
Will Any Unbeaten Teams Fall?
At the various levels across the state there are still teams that remain perfect on the season, will that change drastically this upcoming weekend? Well, at the 5A level Hillcrest will take their unblemished record to the Star Valley (WYO) tournament to see if they can stay unbeaten. This team has looked very strong, but last time out had a close one to Idaho Falls winning 44-40, outside of that contest they have won by ten points or so each time out. Boise and Rocky Mountain will also test their records over the weekend while we won’t see Borah again until Saturday, December 30th in a big time matchup with Rocky Mountain.
In 4A, it’s the aforementioned Preston Indians, Lakeland Hawks and Century Diamondbacks who are still without a loss on the season. Preston and Century are playing the Preston tournament while Lakeland will square off against Clarkston (WA) in a road contest Friday night.
For 3A, it’s the favorites Snake River still holding down the top spot and without a loss, but facing Teton on Friday night, meanwhile Sugar-Salem will do battle in the Star Valley (WYO) tournament. These two already seem to be on a collision course come March, but we shall see what the other teams can do if they do give up a few losses soon.
With 2A, 1A and 1A II, Ririe, Delco, St. Maries, Liberty Charter, Horseshoe Bend, Dietrich, and Salmon River all remain undefeated. Perhaps the most interesting weekend test for this bunch will be that Dietrich vs Declo game on Saturday as one will leave the game with a mark in the loss column. Some tough basketball ahead for all of these teams, but a stellar job thus far.
Player Of The Week Race Heating Up
Mountain View’s Jalen Galloway and Dietrich’s Slade Dill (accolades mentioned above) have a lot going for them entering the weekend in terms of this race, but there are a few players out there that can certainly turn the tide when the voting opens up this Sunday. Another worthy candidate is Middleton’s Carter Arrasmith, who dropped 26 points and 11 rebounds in his team’s big win over Vallivue earlier in the week.
Galloway posted 26 points, 8 rebounds and three steals in his team’s win over Capital and then turned around shortly after that game to go for 23 points, 7 rebounds, and three assists to get the win over Meridian.
Still, with a bunch of action slated for Friday and Saturday this could turn into an even larger coin flip. Stay tuned.