Three standouts from Long Beach Poly’s win against Millikan
LONG BEACH — The Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits completed the season sweep of rival Millikan with an 80–68 win on Thursday. The victory moved the Jackrabbits to a 10–2 Moore League finish and a share of the league title with…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingLONG BEACH — The Long Beach Poly Jackrabbits completed the season sweep of rival Millikan with an 80–68 win on Thursday. The victory moved the Jackrabbits to a 10–2 Moore League finish and a share of the league title with Millikan.
The game itself was full of excitement and buzz considering that Long Beach Poly needed a win to clinch a co-share of the league title. Overall, there were three players who attracted the most attention over the course of the much-anticipated rivalry game.
2021 forward Peyton Watson Peyton Watson 6'7" | SF Long Beach Poly | 2021 State #11 Nation CA-S
As he had done all season for Long Beach Poly, Peyton Watson Peyton Watson 6'7" | SF Long Beach Poly | 2021 State #11 Nation CA-S once again put the team on his back and led them with an all-around impressive showing. Watson led the way with yet another double-double as he recorded 28 points and 11 rebounds. He had his way all game long on both sides of the floor.
On offense, Watson was the team’s main go-to scorer. At 6’7”, Watson mainly used his length as an advantage to size up against smaller defenders both in and out of the painted area. He found relative ease when he put his head down and drove to the basket. Since Millikan had no superb game plan set to stop Watson in the paint, it seemingly became a habit to see them resort to fouling Watson and thus forcing him to earn the two points at the charity stripe.
Watson also showed off his range with a couple of mid-range shots and contested 3-pointers. He has a solid arching shot and quick footwork to set up for it.
Over on defense, Watson recorded a trio of blocks. But more importantly, he was active in every defensive possession on the floor. He was keen on reading Millikan’s offensive sets and always looked to make some sort of an impact in disrupting the Rams’ flow on offense.
The 21st ranked talent in Prep Hoops’ 2021 rankings is certainly one to keep a close eye on for the upcoming CIF Playoffs and for next season as well.
2022 guard Rob Diaz
The Millikan star guard did not have his best game, but he did once again show how lethal he can be as a shooter.
One of the most impressive aspects of his game is his quick release shot. It seemed as whenever Long Beach Poly trapped Diaz and closed down his surrounding space, he still managed to get off a swift, high arching shot. It certainly was not his best overall shooting night — including at the free-throw line — but his ability to get quick offensive scores under heavy defensive pressure is something not many sophomore talents are capable of.
The Rams guard did well in taking advantage of the few defensive breakdowns from Long Beach Poly; he hit on several uncontested jumpers.
He finished with a fair 19 points in the game, which led the Rams. The best is still yet to come for the promising 2022 talent.
2022 guard Christian Watson Christian Watson 6'4" | PG Long Beach Poly | 2022 State CA-S
Jackrabbits point guard Christian Watson Christian Watson 6'4" | PG Long Beach Poly | 2022 State CA-S did not dominate the contest like his older brother Peyton, but he did orchestrate multiple potent offensive sequences en route to an 11-point performance.
Watson scored a couple of layups and showed how well of a stout finisher at the rim he is. His most notable task came on multiple offensive possessions when he was the primary ball-handler. This role requires extreme patience and a keen eye on facilitating the offense with shot-creating passes to teammates. Although it was not a sizeable sample size, he did well to find open teammates and exemplified his unselfish play on the floor.
For a 2022 talent, Christian Watson Christian Watson 6'4" | PG Long Beach Poly | 2022 State CA-S certainly has the potential to develop into a proficient playmaking guard.
None of the three talents are 2020 players, but they are all deserving of much more recognition over the upcoming year.
Both teams now shift their focus on the much-anticipated CIF-SS Playoffs, which begins next week.