San Diego Senior All Star Game standouts
What started as an evenly matched tilt between the county’s best seniors turned into a runaway victory for the North team, which routed the South 124-92 in the latest installment of the San Diego County Senior All-Star Game on April…
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Continue ReadingWhat started as an evenly matched tilt between the county’s best seniors turned into a runaway victory for the North team, which routed the South 124-92 in the latest installment of the San Diego County Senior All-Star Game on April 12.
Fueled by strong performances by La Jolla Country Day senior guard Ryan Langborg, Torrey Pines star guards Bryce and Michael Pope and Rancho Buena Vista center Drew Cisse, the North team used a 37-15 third quarter to blow open a game that the South led 49-48 at halftime.
Langborg, who led the Torreys to their first boys basketball state title in March, was named the North most valuable player after scoring a game-high 23 points. Bryce Pope added 21 points, Cisse scored 18 points and Rancho Buena Vista senior guard Patrick McLachlan scored 16 points.
Here are my thoughts on the night’s festivities.
San Diego Senior All Star Game standouts
MVP – Ryan Langborg
Langborg was part of the group that put the game out of reach for the North in the third quarter, and he did it in spectacular fashion. The Princeton-bound scorer hit one of the more insane layups I’ve ever seen, and hit four threes from well beyond the college three. Bryce and Michael Pope made late cases for the crown, but Langborg stood out in blowout.
Biggest surprise – Rayqwan King, Otay Ranch
The wiry 6-3 shooting guard hovered below even my radar at Otay Ranch this year, earning an All-League first team berth. But he proved his season was no fluke, scoring 13 points in a losing effort. But it was more how he scored that impressed – he has great range on his jump shot and is a true jump shooter. He canned shots both off the pass and off the bounce, including a very nice set of midrange pull-up jumpers. If King goes to junior college and hits the weightroom, he has a chance to do some damage.
Most upside – Drew Cisse, Rancho Bernardo
There is no denying the upside that the 6-9 Cisse possesses. Very few prospects are blessed with his length, rim-running ability and natural basketball instincts. He even hit a couple of threes to open the game in transition, en route to 18 points. The next step for Cisse is focus and consistency, which I believe awaits at the junior college level. Nearly every San Diego program is on him, and whichever one lands him has a player with D1 potential if he puts it together.
Best defender – Jordan Hilstock, Vista and Christian Rose, Bishop’s
Hilstock, who committed to CSU Dominguez Hills the day before the tournament, relished the opportunity to defend Duke-bound Boogie Ellis, and made him work for every bucket. Rose displayed his length and ability to switch onto guards in the pick-and-roll during the second half, when he and Hilstock ground the South’s offense to a halt.
Best scorer – Jay Norton, Mission Bay and Patrick McLachlan, RBV
The South’s MVP didn’t stop attacking in the losing effort, as he scored 15 points. The lefty hit shots from each level – tough drives through contact, nice mid-range pullups with great elevation, and knockdown shots from three off the catch. McLachlan displayed much of the same scoring prowess, but does it with a smoothness that few players can do. Both are headed to area junior colleges and will be highly recruited if their trajectories continue.
Best shoters, Bryce Pope, Torrey Pines and Chase Murray, Carlsbad
Pope and his brother Michael closed their high school careers the way they started – shooting their opponents out of the gym. But it was Murray, a 6-1 combo guard from Carlsbad, who stole the show by winning the three-point contest in convincing fashion.