Six takeaways from South-Central League game threes
Tuesday brought another three games in the South-Central League as the standings begin to take shape of who will contend and who will have to battle in the RPI for the playoffs. Pueblo South snuck by Pueblo Central 38-36 while…
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Continue ReadingTuesday brought another three games in the South-Central League as the standings begin to take shape of who will contend and who will have to battle in the RPI for the playoffs.
Pueblo South snuck by Pueblo Central 38-36 while Pueblo East dominated the second half in a 47-26 win over Pueblo Centennial and Pueblo West flexed its muscles on defense in a 45-24 win at Pueblo County.
Here are seven standouts from the action at the Southwest Motors Events Center and Pueblo County High School.
Jada Dupree isn’t afraid of anything
Down 20-18 at halftime, the Pueblo South senior guard in Dupree put the team on her back once more by posting nine points in the third quarter and putting the Colts up for good in the 38-36 victory over Pueblo Central.
Dupree, the S-CL leading scoring with over 17 points a game, displayed her ability, once again, to turn defense into offense using her speed.
Whether it was poking a pass away down low or jumping the pass up top from Central, Dupree has the speed to make any defensive play on the court happen and finish it in front of everyone at the basket.
Dupree finished as the game’s leading scorer with 16.
Chloe Keck can be a game-wrecker for opponents
Pueblo South’s Chloe Keck lines up and knocks down a 3-pointer against Pueblo Central on Jan. 28, 2020.Pueblo South’s sophomore guard in Keck took over for Dupree in the fourth by knocking two 3-pointers and making another jumper to help stave off the Pueblo Central comeback.
Those eight points helped Keck finish with 15 for the game, but more importantly, it iced any hopes the Wildcats had of making a comeback.
Being only a sophomore and having the ability to knock down the back-breaking shots like Keck did Tuesday could be vital for South to not only try to pull an upset in the playoffs this year, but something develop around for the next couple of years.
Don’t mess with Alicia Lest
Pueblo Central’s junior forward did everything she could to get her Wildcats back into the game against Pueblo South, including ripping away multiple rebounds.
Often, Lest came down with her and a Colt fighting for the board and Lest won pretty much every time with a strong grip and a forceful pull.
The Wildcats may have lost, but Lest showed she has the strength to battle down in the paint and the hops to go up for any rebound.
Pueblo East isn’t afraid to share the rock
Pueblo East’s Evelin Valdez battle through traffic against Pueblo Centennial on Jan. 28, 2020.Three different players scored 11 points for the Eagles on Tuesday in their 47-26 win over Pueblo Centennial.
Sophomore Harlie Medrano scored six in the first and five in the fourth while senior shooter Evelin Valdez and Jaylene Escajeda both knocked down three 3-pointers and one jumper to get to 11.
Medrano will attract attention from the opposing defenses, but getting good ball movement and finding open shots for Escajeda and Valdez is what East has really developed throughout the season.
Tyjhanae Penny is the Bulldogs’ building block
Pueblo Centennial’s Tyjhanae Penny goes for the block against Pueblo Central on Jan. 25, 2020.The last few seasons for Pueblo Centennial have been rough to say the least, but the Bulldogs’ sophomore guard in Penny is one piece they don’t have to worry much about.
Penny plays lock down defense and finds ways to get to the bucket and, most importantly, finish through contact.
Plus, Penny is an excellent free throw shooter going 21 for 29 from the line this season.
Pueblo West is more than just offense
While the attention often goes to the scoring ability of Hannah Simental or the many other offense powers for the Cyclones, what has made the difference this season is lights-out defense.
That was evident against a lockdown defensive team in Pueblo County as the Cyclones only put up 45 in the 45-24 road victory, about nine points less than their 54 average.
But a tougher night shooter won’t mean much to CHSAAnow.com’s No. 2-ranked Class 4A team in Pueblo West, who has players like Gabby Louther and Shayla Padilla willing to stop whoever is in front of them.