Ten Best: Day 1 at the North/South OC Challenge
LAS FLORES — The 21st annual North/South OC Challenge took place Friday and Saturday at Tesoro high school. The event featured an all-Orange County field with teams from the North taking on teams from the South. The opening day of…
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Continue ReadingLAS FLORES — The 21st annual North/South OC Challenge took place Friday and Saturday at Tesoro high school. The event featured an all-Orange County field with teams from the North taking on teams from the South. The opening day of the two-day event featured three games and below are the Ten Best performers from Friday.
Best Overall Performance: Elijah Vaielua, Cypress
Vaielua, who was the top receiver on the Centurions’ CIF Southern Section Division 7 championship team, scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a win over San Juan Hills. The 6-foot-1 senior might be undersized for the forward position, but his toughness, physicality and athleticism allow him to play much bigger than his size and he impacts the game in a variety of ways.
Best Scorer(s): Adam Weingard, San Juan Hills, Max Rumph, San Clemente and Jack Stone, Corona del Mar
Weingard had a team-high 19 points for the Stallions as they fell to Cypress, 64-57. The 6-foot-4 wing racks up points in a variety of ways, whether it’s a catch-and-shoot 3 or a mid-range jumper off the bounce. Weingard is also able to draw a good amount of fouls and convert at the free throw line.
Rumph was another standout in a close defeat at the hands of Corona del Mar. The 6-foot-2 senior dropped a game-high 22 points and did most of his damage off the bounce at the mid-range level. Rumph uses his strength and change of speeds to create space from defenders and get his shot off.
Stone scored 11 of his team-high 17 points in the second half in a win over San Clemente all while facing a box-and-one defense from the Tritons. Stone is well-known as one of the best shooters in all of Southern California and is one of the better players when it comes to moving without the basketball.
Best Passer: Christian Chai, Cypress
Chai is the consummate pass-first point guard who is always operating with his head up and eyes scanning the floor in both transition and half-court settings. The 6-foot junior uses his speed to probe the paint, draw defenders, and kick accurate and timely passes to open shooters.
Best Rebounder: Nygle Williams, Woodbridge
Williams was one of the biggest surprises of the day as we didn’t know what to expect from Woodbridge. The 6-foot-7 sophomore has an intriguing frame with broad shoulders and high hips that seem to indicate some further growth. Williams snatched up 13 boards for the Warriors and is an active pursuer of the basketball on both ends of the floor.
Best Defender: Isaiah Frazilus, Aliso Niguel
The 6-foot-3 wing guarded at least four different positions in the Wolverines’ win over Woodbridge. His wingspan and all-around athleticism allowed him to switch onto and contain point guards in high ball-screen action, but he also defended both of Woodbridge’s big men with success.
Best Shooter(s): Tyler Weaver, Aliso Niguel and Eddie Spencer, Cypress
Weaver canned four 3-pointers en route to 16 points in a win over Woodbridge and his smooth shooting stroke, coupled with his size and length, make him an intriguing long-term prospect, which we will discuss some more below.
Spencer also hit four 3-pointers for the Centurions, three of them coming on the first three possessions of the game, en route to 23 points in a win over San Juan Hills. The 6-foot-2 senior also went 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Best Bench Performer: Vanis Buckholz, Corona del Mar
The Sea Kings needed every bit of Buckholz’s 10 points in a two-point win over San Clemente. The rangy 6-foot-4 forward was best as a face-up set shooter from the 15-17 foot range and helped take some pressure off of CdM’s top scorer, Jack Stone.
Best Upside: Tyler Weaver, Aliso Niguel
As mentioned above, Weaver dropped 16 points and showed his consistent shooting prowess from behind-the-arc in the process. The sophomore has intriguing size for a young wing prospect and his shooting ability is not something that can easily be taught. Weaver needs to continue to get stronger and work on his ball skills to reach his full potential at the shooting guard or small forward position.
Best Athlete: Elijah Vaielua, Cypress
This was discussed above a bit, but Cypress’ two-sport stud was by far and away the best athlete in the gym on the day. At 6-feet-1, he rarely needed to block out to snatch rebounds over people at their peak. While not overly skilled, he drove by and through defenders because he was simply faster and stronger.
Best Freshman: Efe Gucoglu, Corona del Mar
There weren’t many freshmen who played as big of a role as Gucoglu does for the Sea Kings as their sixth man. The 6-foot-1 guard scored all eight of his points in an important second half to help CdM hold off a San Clemente comeback attempt.