4A State Championship Preview
February 22nd GCU Arena What looked like what was going to be the game of the year, between Salpointe and Shadow Mountain, sadly disappointed. This was one of the worst officiated game I have ever witnessed. As a neutral fan,…
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Continue ReadingFebruary 22nd GCU Arena
What looked like what was going to be the game of the year, between Salpointe and Shadow Mountain, sadly disappointed. This was one of the worst officiated game I have ever witnessed. As a neutral fan, I just wanted to see good competitive basketball but was constantly frustrated by calls heavily favoring Shadow Mountain. The entire arena shared my views on the game as you could hear the uproar after every call. It’s unfortunate too because Salpointe really played hard and ended up losing only by 7, much of the game without Majok Deng. 3 of his 5 calls were given to him when he wasn’t even involved in the play and the referees gave the foul to the wrong player. It’s heartbreaking to see that and it isn’t fair to either team, these kids just want to compete. Jaelen House played great finishing with 29 points and 6 assists. Jovan Blacksher also looked very impressive, scoring 24 points. Evan Nelson led the way for the Lancers, finishing with 19 points. Luc Rosenblatt got off to a hot start going 6-6 from deep, finishing with 18.
This sets up another state championship opportunity for Shadow Mountain, as they will take on Deer Valley.
Deer Valley is a very good team and they are very well coached. Deer Valley beat Catalina Foothills 52-45. Catalina Foothills is a very good team and it is definitely a big feat in its own.
While I do think Deer Valley is a very good team, I do not think they have enough to match Shadow Mountain. It is important to note that these two team played each other earlier in the year, Shadow Mountain won 75-52.
I think the Shadow Mountain press is going to be too much for Deer Valley and that will ultimate loss them the game.
Prediction: Shadow Mountain