Final Score: Pleasant Hill 64 Santiam Christian 56
Gavin Inglish isn’t a POTY candidate yet, but when he is a senior he will be. The ceiling for this kid is incredible. The length, the athleticism, the aggressiveness when possessing the ball and when rebounding, the basketball IQ, it’s all there. Physical maturation, which clearly he already is more mature than the average sophomore, will be what makes him a first team all state player in the near future. If you get a chance to watch this kid this season, do it. Highly entertaining.
Landen Melvin looks like a freshman, walks like a freshman, but plays like a two year varsity starting veteran. The backcourt pair of Melvin and Matthew Nguyen might be the most unassuming but effective backcourt 3A has to offer this year, and boy did they show it tonight.
Santiam Christian showed the limitations in the back court tonight. Benjamin Bourne was a matchup problem for the Billies, but got the ball in space so infrequently the impact was minimal. Props to the Pleasant Hill defense for limiting his effective touches, but it also points to the inherent trap of having your #1 as a post player: If he can’t get the ball or isn’t producing, who then produces instead? Having any kind of guard or perimeter floating forward doesn’t fall into this situation because they can either bring the ball up or get the ball above the arc with minimal resistance, but a post needs an entry pass and space. Where Santiam Christian goes for offense, outside of kickout three pointers to Caden Trimmer, if Benjamin Bourne is being taken away is the main question for the Eagles going into the third week. Who is the next facilitator?
Leading scorers: Gavin Inglish (PH) 32, Caden Trimmer (SC) 22, Benjamin Bourne (SC) 18, Landon Melvin (PH) 10
That’s Landon Melvin rather than Jacob Neely that you are referring too as the underrated 3a backcourt