Three Takeaways: Ponderosa at Highlands Ranch
The Highlands Ranch Falcons (15-4, 7-0) held steady atop the Continental League following Tuesday night’s impressive 67-24 victory against the Ponderosa Mustangs (15-6, 5-3). The Falcons controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish on both ends of the…
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Continue ReadingThe Highlands Ranch Falcons (15-4, 7-0) held steady atop the Continental League following Tuesday night’s impressive 67-24 victory against the Ponderosa Mustangs (15-6, 5-3). The Falcons controlled the tempo of the game from start to finish on both ends of the court Tuesday. Ponderosa, despite the loss, played well as a team but came up short.
Here are three takeaways from the game at Highlands Ranch.
Payton Muma deserves her spot as the number one 2021 guard
Highlands Ranch junior Payton Muma (1) looks down courtHistorically, the Falcons run a tough team to beat. Highlands Ranch has been able to ride the success of phenomenal guard play leading to high-percentage chances. This trend continues with Muma at the helm.
As a shoot-first guard, Muma keeps her eyes down the court. She has quick feet to go along with her equally as quick hands helping give her the space she needs to finish. Running an up-tempo offense can be tiring, but Muma doesn’t show any signs of wearing down.
Muma finished her night with a game-high 24 points. Although she led all scorers, she is a guard by nature and provides opportunities for her teammates to score. This Falcons squad looks and feels different with Muma controlling the offense and she is locked in to lead Highlands Ranch deep into the playoffs.
There is no “I” in “team”
The team is key for Ponderosa. The Mustangs made it clear their success is built around the structure and strengths of their team.
Ponderosa’s Carolyn Ho (22, red) splits the defense for an open laneWhen the loss is taken out of context from Tuesday night’s game the Mustangs are a solid group. Seniors Carolyn Ho and Katherine Higgins are the backbones of this young team. Higgins led the team with ten gritty points in the paint. Ho and sophomore Madison Miyasato run a tight offense knowing exactly where their teammates need to be.
Defensively, head coach Cory White schemed well against Highlands Ranch. His girls ran a 3-2 zone most of the night but the speed and opportunistic nature of the Falcons overcame this. Zone defense can be hard to beat, Tuesday night wasn’t their night, but looking to the playoffs could provide a nightmare matchup.
Don’t sleep on sophomore Taylor Ray
In her second season as a varsity player, Ray looks like a polished veteran. At 5-foot-11, Ray is not the tallest member of the Falcons roster, but her length and growing athleticism allow her to impact the game on both ends of the court.
Taylor Ray of Highlands Ranch makes herself open to receive the pass from Sarah Mitchell (20)Court awareness is a natural ability that Ray possesses. All night she seemed to be around the ball whether it was defensively blocking shots and absorbing body blows or offensively scooping rebounds for second chance plays.
As a sophomore, Ray’s game has time to grow. She looks to be every part of a varsity player and her preparation goes hand-in-hand. The height of Ray provides her with the green-light inside, however, it was clear she has put in the time to expand her game beyond the arc to truly become a dual-threat offensively.