Final-4 4A Playoffs: Pueblo at Mesquite

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Tuesday, February 28th I watched the Final-4 of 4A at Mesquite HS in Gilbert, AZ as the #1 <strong>Mesquite Wildcats</strong> hosted the #4 <strong>Pueblo Warriors</strong>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The game was tight from start to finish. It was a 27-24 Mesquite halftime lead with [player_tooltip player_id='208241' first='Victoria' last='Cazares'] with 9 pts &amp; [player_tooltip player_id='607509' first='America' last='Cazares'] with 6 for Pueblo and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530987' first='Navae' last='Guidry'] </strong>with 9 points, [player_tooltip player_id='208244' first='Mya' last='Way'] with 7 and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530990' first='Vanessa' last='Rae Sepulveda'] </strong>with 6.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A 3 at the buzzer by<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='208266' first='Myla' last='Truitt'] </strong>cuts into the Mesquite lead at 39-35 heading into the 4th quarter.&nbsp;Once again the 4th went back and forth and the game eventually went to OT at 45-all. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In OT [player_tooltip player_id='208241' first='Victoria' last='Cazares'] hit a 3 right away and [player_tooltip player_id='208266' first='Myla' last='Truitt'] stole the ball and scored to go up 5 but [player_tooltip player_id='208244' first='Mya' last='Way'] hit a 3 for a 50-48 Pueblo lead with 1:44 to play. A pivotal moment was when [player_tooltip player_id='607509' first='America' last='Cazares'] hit a floater to give Pueblo a 52-48 with 38 seconds to play and Mesquite would not score again. Pueblo would win in OT <strong>52-48</strong>. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Here were some of the standouts from the playoff game</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='607509' first='America' last='Cazares'] Pueblo&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An all-around freshman combo guard literally defended every position in this game. She scores it a variety of ways with downhill play and quick blow by layups plus she can step black and hit the three. She is a tough rebounder and will score in traffic on put backs. She will block shots and the little sister has a bright future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208241' first='Victoria' last='Cazares'] Pueblo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A scoring point guard can make up the court passes and will throw some strikes to her teammates for assists. She is very quick to blow past her defenders and can launch the three point shot with confidence. She hit a clutch one in overtime to give them the initial separation. She is highly competitive on defense and scored a game high 19 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208266' first='Myla' last='Truitt'] Pueblo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A smaller scoring combo guard is stocky and tough to score. She can maneuver inside on layups plus can hit the catch three. She is a tough on ball defender to rip some pockets and can pull-up from mid-range. She had some big plays in the 4th quarter and overtime period to secure the win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sandra Perez F 5'7 2023 Pueblo</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A tough forward plays bigger than her size suggests and brings some toughness with broader shoulders and strength. She scores in transition plus around the cup. She plays hard to defend from inside and out and brings a little size and toughness to an undersized team. &nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530990' first='Vanessa' last='Rae Sepulveda'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A versatile guard who can score it inside plus step back and hit the three with range. She is competitive to defend inside with rebounds and will block shots. She has good instincts to play the passing lanes and plays with confidence. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='530987' first='Navae' last='Guidry'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A good sized wing forward plays the 3/4 for the Wildcats. She glides around the court and can handle it fairly well for a forward. She has good length for a wing and moves fluidly. She does a little bit of everything in the stat sheet from rebounds, blocks, steals and assists. She grabs the ball at its highest point to corral the rebound. She moves well in space to defend guards and is strong enough to defend the bigs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='558898' first='Kahlia' last='Gonzales'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A pure point guard definitely plays from the neck up. The daughter of the head coach just knows how to play with a big feel for the game. She handles the PG duties and throws dimes all game long. She threw a couple in stride to cutting girls for buckets. She makes quick decisions in the transition game and it is usually the correct one. She has a quick burst into the lane and will make plays. She grabbed a huge rebound late in the game showing her competitiveness.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='208244' first='Mya' last='Way'] Mesquite&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A highly skilled combo guard handles the ball well and takes pressure off of Gonzales. She makes good reads with the ball and she is the top shooter of the team. She can give a hard ball fake and get into the lane and use the runner. She can step into a three and rattle them off one by one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='607478' first='Lucy' last='Fisher'] Mesquite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A wing forward with size and skill. She comes with a motor to rebound and she will dive on the floor if needed. She scores on driving layups with either hand and is very good in transition. She consistently moves without the ball, she can shoot it from mid-range and plays the game with a huge IQ.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->