Down in the Charlotte area, Sun Valley hit the road to take on a very intriguing and talented Porter Ridge. Both teams have had a solid season, so this certainly looked to be a fun matchup to watch. Both teams came out well, with Porter Ridge taking the lead behind their leader 2022 Isaiah Williams. Porter Ridge also wanted to get the ball out of 2024 Tyree White’s hand, who has been outstanding this season. Every time he touched the ball, they looked to double-team early. It helped to slow him down in the first half, as Porter Ridge led 18-11 after the first quarter and kept that lead heading into halftime, 42-33. 2022 Greg Wenger really stepped up for Porter Ridge early as well, showing his range and really stretching the defense with his perimeter shooting.
Second half, Sun Valley was able to stay within striking distance but every time they were able to have success offensively, Porter Ridge would answer right back. White was able to get it going in the second half, while 2023 Daniel Valentine was the other catalyst offensively. But the overall team performance, their defensive presence, and balance offensively, Porter Ridge was able to stretch their lead to 20 in the fourth quarter and eventually go home with an 85-70 victory.
Final: Porter Ridge 85 – Sun Valley 70
Stats:
PR: Greg Wenger 18 points/ Isaiah Williams 17pts/ Kyler Harris 14pts
SV: Tyree White 23 points/ Daniel Valentine 17pts/ Will Brown 10pts
Standouts/ Thoughts:
- Really like what I saw from the guard play for Porter Ridge. ’22 Greg Wenger really shot the ball well with nice touch and confidence, as he really can stretch the floor with his range; no hesitation on his shot. ’22 Isaiah Williams is a 6’5 combo guard that can fill it up, score in a variety of ways, and continues to produce at a consistent rate. More schools should be looking his way with his frame, skillset, and IQ on the floor. Lastly, ’23 Kyler Harris is a smooth guard that gets into the paint, plays at his pace, and also showed a little bounce to his game.
- ’24 Tyree White is a name some may not know but he has had an excellent season, really filling up the stat sheet. The defense looked to stop him early but he was able to get going, get downhill, finish over defenders and through contact, and get to the free throw line. Watch out for this sophomore in the Charlotte area.
- A few other names that captured my attention: ’23 Daniel Valentine has good size at 6’4 and finished really well around the basket. He was active all throughout the game and made some tough finishes. I also liked ’22 CJ Anthony and his presence on both ends. Made an impact in an array of ways, made plays in transition, and continues to fill up the stat sheet.