6A All-Tournament Team
While there were some early upsets in the 6A State Tournament, the teams in the championship were largely predicted prior to the beginning of the season. Further, the key players who stepped up were guys who had been identified as players to watch earlier in the year.
Lone Peak was able to walk away with the state championship once again due to their balanced attack offensively. Further, they turned the defensive intensity up to another level in the tournament. Below are the players who played the biggest roles in their team’s success.
6A All-Tournament Team: MVP
Steven Ashworth 6’1 PG 2018 Lone Peak
Ashworth’s biggest competition for this award was his own teammates as Lone Peak dominated the 6A state tournament. In fact, since their near loss to Pleasant Grove in the regular season, Ashworth and Lone Peak have turned it up to another level.
While there are a couple of teammates who could easily be in this spot, Ashworth sets the tempo for Lone Peak. In addition to be a capable scorer who rebounds at his position as well as anyone in the state, he facilitates extremely well. He puts his guys in spots where he knows they can be successful. His feel for the game made his teammates better and was key to the success of the team.
6A All-Tournament Team: 1st Team
Ross Chantry 5’10 PG 2018 Lone Peak
Chantry has been a scoring threat all season. While Ashworth puts guys in good spots, he has to have guys who can score the basketball in order for his passes to be worthwhile. Chantry does just that. He is a fearless playmaker who is capable of taking over a game at a moments notice.
Max Brenchley 6’5 SF/PF 2018 Lone Peak
While Chantry and Ashworth led Lone Peak to the state championship, Brenchley is a huge part of why they won it. His glue guy mentality and willingness to do all of the dirty work enabled Chantry and Ashworth to produce at a high level. His workhorse mentality was vital.
Jackson Brinkerhoff 6’7 C 2018 Lone Peak
While Brinkerhoff may have been undersized, he did not play like it in the state tournament whatsoever. His ability to compete at a high level, in addition to Brenchley’s toughness, was a game changer. His consistent strong play put Lone Peak in a position to win this state title. Teams struggled greatly with being able to handle the balanced frontcourt and backcourt that Lone Peak provided.
Matt Van Komen 7’4 C 2019 Pleasant Grove
Van Komen is a game changer, plain and simple. While he has good length that instantly impacts the game, he has good footwork on the block and a soft touch around the rim. While Lone Peak was in control of the game, Van Komen still made his impact with a near double-double in the championship game.
Casey Brown 6’2 PG/SG 2019 Pleasant Grove
Brown provided a consistent scoring threat for Pleasant Grove throughout the state tournament. His heroic play gives Pleasant Grove a lot of reason to expect to be crowned the state champion next year. With him returning and Van Komen’s presence in the paint, Pleasant Grove will be extremely talented next season.