Quick takes from Pinnacle at Highland
On Wednesday night I attended the 6A Sweet-16 game of Pinnacle at Highland Highland was the 3 seed but Pinnacle, the 14 seed, had most of their players finally back from injury and have been in a groove recently. Right…
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Continue ReadingOn Wednesday night I attended the 6A Sweet-16 game of Pinnacle at Highland
Highland was the 3 seed but Pinnacle, the 14 seed, had most of their players finally back from injury and have been in a groove recently.
Right from the tip, the Pioneers took control of the game inside the paint and utilized their size to dominate.
They turned over the Hawks and it led to layups. Pinnacle hit some timely 3’s and won the game from inside out.
Hawks do have a nice core of youth and Coach Fazio is slowly building something special from the ground up.
Pioneers also already have 4 freshman playing on varsity. Losing some STUD seniors from last year and this year, they have quickly reloaded and look to have a bright future once again. They have a interesting match-up at Mountain Pointe where both teams are the high seed. The match-ups in this game will be fun down low and at the guard spot.
Final score was 70-59 Pinnacle.
Here were some of the standouts from the game:
AJ Riggs AJ Riggs 6'2" | SG Highland | 2022 State AZ SG 6’1 2022 Highland
-One of the top catch shooters in the class. Has a super quick shooting release and has been terrorizing teams all year with 5+ 3’s in big games. He moves smartly without the ball to relocate to shoot it. He also gives a hard shot fake to get the defense off of him then will pull from another spot on the court. He has good length and a bright spot for the team this year.
Mason Knollmiller Mason Knollmiller 6'2" | SG Highland | 2022 State AZ SG 6’1 2022 Highland
-An athletic guard who likes getting to the basket. He can euro his way and score it and uses his dominant right hand to achieve most of his skills. He is a quick defender and a sneaky good passer. He jumps up quickly to rebound and Riggs and him could be a tough tandem the next two years in the East Valley.
Derick Kaps Derick Kaps 6'1" | PG Highland | 2021 State AZ PG 6’1 2021 Highland
-Fast on-ball defender and athletic. He can hound his defender up the length of the court with nice lateral quicks. He has a fast first step and shifty handle to get into the lane. He is an improved 3pt shooter and gets high elevation off the ground. His best basketball is clearly ahead of him and he’s been a big reason the Hawks had a successful season.
Royce Ramos Royce Ramos 6'5" | PF Rancho Solano Prep | 2023 State AZ PF 6’5 2023 Pinnacle
-A highly skilled forward can virtually do it all outside of playing above the rim. He has a beautiful stroke from the 3pt line and can handle it to create his own shot. He has soft hands and high IQ to maneuver inside and catch tough passes. He goes up quickly and he is a physical rebounder where he uses his strength and boxes out. The Pioneers have a player they can build around for the next few years.
Ramos had a big game vs the Hawks.Duce Robinson Duce Robinson 6'6" | PF Pinnacle | 2023 AZ PF 6’6 2023 Pinnacle
-Another freshman big moves very fluidly around the court. He happens to play TE in football (where he already has an ASU offer) plus reportedly plays baseball making him one of the top overall athletes in the entire state from his class! His body is chiseled with wider shoulders, long arms and great strength. But you are surprised how nimble and graceful he moves out in space defending guards and wings. He can advance his offensive game moving forward but he has a lot to work with for the future.
Tosh Baker C 6’8 2020 Pinnacle
-A football stud headed to Notre Dame to play tackle could be playing on Sundays one day but don’t tell him that yet since he has come back from an injury and is scoring efficiently the last few games. They work the ball through him and his right hand hook shots are basically money. He has great length and strength to rebound the ball and he will be a fun match-up with big Zereoue Williams Zereoue Williams 6'7" | PF Mountain Pointe | 2021 AZ from Mountain Pointe on Saturday.
Marcus Libman CG 6’0 2020 Pinnacle
-The heart and soul of the team does many things well. He is a stud on-ball defender and took out many of their top scorers from getting clean looks. His football background helps him move laterally and get physical with his opponents. He is a cerebral play-maker and knockdown 3pt shooter. He will match-up with Jason Kimbrough Jr Jason Kimbrough Jr 6'1" | PG Bella Vista Prep | 2022 AZ Jr, which should be another worth watching.