Tempe, AZ High School Summer League: McClintock vs. Marcos de Niza top performers
The McClintock Chargers boys basketball team defeated Marcos de Niza 74-60 in the Tempe High School Youth Hoops Summer League on June 6, to move to 2-0 overall.
It was a highly-competitive game, and Marcos de Niza made a run at the end of the first half to bring the score to 44-36 at halftime, but McClintock never gave up the lead and won decisively.
Here are some of Wednesday’s top performers:
McClintock Chargers:
- Josh Baker
Baker’s signature shot, his three-pointer from all areas of the perimeter, was falling like usual, but it was not needed too much because he got to the basket at will, finishing tough lay ups around multiple defenders. When the defense was forced to crash in to help on his drives, Baker used his court vision to zip passes to open perimeter players for jump shots. He played well, defensively as well, but he proved full-well why he is so important to the McClintock offense.
- Mekhi Rodgers
A box score cannot quite show the impact Rodgers had on the defensive end in this game. He made dribbling tough for the opposing guards all 40 minutes, and was particularly effective when the Chargers switched to a full-court press defense. He caused turnovers both by accumulating steals and forcing errant passes to his fellow defenders or out of bounds. On offense, he hit a few open shots as well.
- Armani Williams
Williams played his usual brand of efficient basketball, needing few touches and even fewer dribbles to contribute on offense, but he hit several open jump shots in the flow of the offense. When McClintock moved to a press defense in the second half, he roamed the back line, picking off or disrupting passes after the first line of defense, which provided a few transition opportunities.
Marcos de Niza Padre:
- J.J. Hill
The Padre center was effective down low. Though he got few paint touches in the flow of the offense, he accumulated several second-chance points from offensive rebounds. He was also the only Padre that provided much rim protection against the McClintock drivers.
- Torren Union
Union used his quickness and dribbling ability to get into the paint for lay up attempts and passes to teammates from near the rim. With tough defense near the basket, he did not have an easy time finishing, but Union kept battling and manufacturing points at the free throw line.