5 takeaways: Bella Vista vs. Spire
Ohio’s Spire Academy rolled into Scottsdale and beat Bella Vista College Prep, 85-69, in a packed gym for the Hoophall West High School Invitational. Spire got out to an early lead, and dominated the entire game. But, there were some positives for Bella Vista, and here are five of them:
Rick Issanza is a quality defender:
Issanza did not start the game for the Bears, but made a big impact when he was in. Spire has plenty of athleticism and was dunking the entire game. However, when Issanza got in there with his 7-foot-1 frame and long arms, a lot of shots were contested and blocked. He played himself into a starting spot coming out of halftime.
Terry Armstrong can finish:
Armstrong – committed to the University of Arizona – was the one player who really could create his own shot and score frequently in this game. He has good handles, is quick and finishes at the rim well. He had a few highlight lay ups around tall defenders, and was often double-teamed, but still made his way to the hole.
Jeron Artest’s passing was great:
Though he had a bit of a down game scoring-wise, Artest (yes he’s the son of who you think he might be) made several productive passes to good players in the lane. He also frequently made good decisions on out-of-bounds plays, something that frequently gets overlooked, especially against quality defensive teams.
Addison Patterson played well all-around:
In this game, Patterson did a little bit of everything. He had a few steals on some of Spire’s best ball-handlers, which he took for transition lay ups, dunks and assists. He also rebounded well, something the team struggled with at certain points. He always boxed out well, and hardly was beat by an opponent for an offensive board.
Eman Sertovic shot incredibly well:
Spire played a zone-press, which made it difficult for Bella Vista’s handlers to get the ball up the court on the dribble easily. However, it often left Sertovic open in the corner if they could make the right passes to get it to him. He really shot the lights out from beyond the arc, so it was almost a wonder he did not get the ball a little bit more. His shooting will add a lot to this team this year offensively, spreading the floor for everybody else.