A few unsung heros: 5A semifinals
Millennium defeated Apollo 72-61 and Gilbert took down McClintock 46-45 in Monday’s 5A boys’ basketball semifinals in Tempe. The state championship between the two will be a rematch from earlier in the season, as Gilbert beat Millennium 64-53 on December…
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Continue ReadingMillennium defeated Apollo 72-61 and Gilbert took down McClintock 46-45 in Monday’s 5A boys’ basketball semifinals in Tempe. The state championship between the two will be a rematch from earlier in the season, as Gilbert beat Millennium 64-53 on December 15 this season.
While the final will be exciting, here are a few unsung guys that had big games in the semifinal round:
Armani Williams: McClintock
Williams is a junior among a senior-heavy team that gave Gilbert its closest 5A game this season. Others take most of the shots and handle the ball, but Williams played a big role in getting McClintock into this game. The ball was not going in the basket early for the Chargers, who struggled hitting jumpers. He took over at points, getting consecutive steals for transition lay ups that got the crowd going and boosted the team’s energy.
Paul Maldonado: Gilbert
Like McClintock, it appeared early that Gilbert would struggle to shoot from the outside. Doc Self and Carson Towt, like always, did a lot to get the Tigers going, but I really appreciated Maldonado’s energy. He played incredibly hard on defense, and pumped up his team, while attacking the basket when he had his opportunities to do so.
Ahamed Mohamed: Apollo
The Hawks were led by their senior captain Emmanuel Taban, per usual, but Mohamed looked really comfortable in a heated game as just a freshman. In future years, expect him to have more ball-handling responsibilities, and create more offense, but he played defense and rebounded in this game, while taking his shots in the flow of the offense. It was a very mature performance from him.
Michael Batchelor: Millennium
The Tigers have plenty of young offensive weapons, obviously DaRon Holmes at the top of the list. Per usual, the stars came to shine for this team, making shots and playing defense. But, Batchelor made an impact on this game by guarding at the perimeter. With Millennium running out the clock in the final minutes, he did a great job getting open to kill time, and hit a few shots that essentially put the nail in Apollo’s coffin.