Prep Hoops 10 Best: Century vs Pocatello
On December 7, 2018 Century made the short cross town trip to play at “The Pit” against rival Pocatello. This game had everything you would look for in a rivalry game. From the opening tip it was a back and forth battle of trading baskets and tough physical play. It wasn’t a high scoring game but it was full of excitement. The biggest lead through the whole game came in the 4th qt when Century fulled ahead by 6 points. But, that was short lived as Pocatello got back to within 2 pts. Despite their gutsy effort, Pocatello missed to many foul shots down the stretch and just wasn’t able to overtake Century. Century ended up winning their 4th consecutive game against Pocatello 48-44.
On to The 10 Best……
MVP: Max Rogers (Century)
At 6’7″ senior Max Rogers displayed his versatility and athleticism by leading the Diamondbacks in the second half to a victory over Pocatello. He was dominate on the boards and protected the rim well blocking shots and making offensive players alter their shots. In the final seconds of the game he also showed he could handle the ball by helping break Pocatello’s press and preserving the win.
Play of the Game: Century
The play of the game came as time was running out in the third quarter. Century’s Deshun Harwell (2019) pushed the ball up the court and with 2 seconds on the clock shot a running 3 pointer which bounced off the rim and into the air. Right before the horn sounded Max Rogers (2019) tipped it in to give Century a 33-30 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Best Offensive Performance: Deshun Harwell (Century)
Harwell showed why he is ranked #6 on our class of 2019 rankings for Idaho. He has great elevation on his shot and is able to make baskets from all over the court. He has a very quick first step and can elevate to the rim quickly. Harwell knows how to use his body to draw contact while driving to the basket and is a good finisher.
Best Defensive Performance: Kaden Hales (2020) Pocatello
Hales (2020) guarded Harwell most of the night which isn’t an easy task. Hales made him earn every point. Through the whole game Hales was on his hip and had a hand in his face. Most of Harwell’s offensive output came in the first half. Hales showed he wasn’t intimidated by his defensive assignment and that he is a hard worker.
Best off the bench: Mathew Ney (2020) Pocatello
Ney (2020) came off the bench for Pocatello in the first quarter and hit a 3 pointer to spark a run by Pocatello. His hustle and rebounding skills helped Pocatello against Century’s height.
Best Intangibles: Jayden Downs (2020) Pocatello
Downs (2020) was all over the place. Multiple times he was the kid on the floor diving for the ball or right in the mix on jump balls. If there was a long rebound he was chasing after it trying to get it. He worked very hard all game long.
Best Passer: Isaac Brown (2020) Pocatello
Brown (2020) showed in this game that one of his strengths is his ability to see the floor and get the ball to the open man. Early on in the game was dribbling across the top of the 3 pt circle going left to right and threw a one handed dart off the dribble to an open teammate under the basket for a layup. He continued to make great passes all night long.
Best under-the-radar performance:Titan Fleischmann (2021) Century
Fleichmann (2021) is a name we will hear more about over the next couple years. He played only a few min giving Rogers (2019) a break, but was very productive in those minutes. At 6’4″ Fleichmann is big and strong and moves very well. He as good hands and can score on the block with his back to the basket.
Best rebounder: Max Rogers (2019) Century
If there was a rebound even close to Rogers (2019) it was his. He dominated the boards on both the offensive and defensive end. Not only could he get the rebound but he is athletic enough to handle the ball and wait for the defense to clear.
Best aspect of the environment: The student bodies
Since this was a cross town rivalry game it made the crowd very even in numbers. Both schools were represented well at the game. The students were seated right by each other across the gym from their teams. From the tip they were loud and energetic. It brought an electricity to the game that only a rivalry like this can create.