Ryse Williams Pac Shores: Things We Learned
The six-day Ryse Williams Pac Shores Tournament commenced Saturday as Fairfax came away as champions in a win over Bishop Montgomery. UNLV-bound guard Ethan Anderson scored a game-high 28 points, earning MVP honors in the process. Robert McRae added 16 for the Lions and earned all-tournament honors.
Bishop Montgomery played without Oregon State-signee Gianni Hunt, as well as key reserve Josh Lee, and also lost starting forward Nick Schrader to a knee injury in the second quarter. Josh Vazquez and Will Crawford paced the Knights with 15 points apiece.
Here are some things we learned throughout the week:
Fairfax overwhelming with pace and tempo
The Lions defeated an undermanned Bishop Montgomery, 64-56, in the Pac Shores championship Saturday and did so by making the Knights uncomfortable in their own skin. Fairfax used an active zone press, well-equipped with trapping the ball handler and swiping the pass to the middle, to turn mistakes into easy baskets at the other end. If you don’t take care of the basketball, you’re in for a long night against the Lions.
Fairfax High won the Ryse Williams Pac Shores title with a 64-56 decision over Bishop Montgomery.Bishop Montgomery without expectations like recent years?
Don’t be fooled by the Knights’ playing tight games before losing to Fairfax. They were missing a host of key contributors and will be very, very good once healthy and transfer Isaiah Johnson becomes eligible. Gianni Hunt missed most of the tournament due to an ankle injury suffered in the first game and Nick Schrader went down in the first half of the championship game, two starters and double-figure scorers for Bishop Montgomery. CIF Southern Section Open Division contention is not out of the question for the Knights.
Washington Prep trending toward a City Open berth
The Generals play tough and grimy basketball and aren’t bashful about it. They’re going to get into the opponent on the defensive end, take a handful of hard fouls, and make you think twice about taking the ball to the rack. Offensively, Washington Prep looks to attack the basket every chance it gets with Bilal Mike, Hassan Hughey and Noel Scott, but can also spread the floor from deep with Hansen Clarke and lefty forward Carl Adams.
Host Redondo Union will be a tough out all season
The Sea Hawks play with a chip on their shoulder, and add in the fact that they play hard and have positional versatility, and they will be a tough team to beat come Bay League and playoff time. Redondo features a guard duo in Jayden Winfrey, a pass-first point guard, and Xan Wesley, a crafty scorer, that complement each other well. Long, athletic, 6-foot-6 forward Chase Bowsher and burly 6-foot-4 forward Chimezie Maduno also play well off of one another in the paint.
Birmingham has a couple of nice young pieces
Many were wondering how the Patriots would reload after the final Doutrive brother graduated, but a couple player additions later and BHam is just fine. Junior forward Elisha Cofield is raw, but is an active and athletic prospect at 6-feet-6. He blocks shots, rebounds and runs the floor with purpose. His younger brother, Corey Cofield, a sophomore, is the more polished offensive player with some smooth shot creating ability at 6-feet-4. Sophomore point guard David Elliot also had some strong moments throughout the week.