In their first two meetings this year Dysart High School would defeat Willow Canyon in both games. On Monday evening, the two teams would face each other for a third time this season, but this time Dysart (8-2) would be handed their worst loss of the season, as Willow Canyon, behind a very nice home crowd, would blow out Dysart, 61-35, behind a well-balanced offensive attack.
Willow Canyon (6-3) displayed a nice offensive attack against a Dysart team that looked out of place and dysfunctional on Monday night. Led by the play of four players - 6-foot-1 senior guard Justin Howard, 6-foot senior guard Dvonne Walker, 5-foot-11 senior guard Kyle Goggans and 6-foot-4 senior forward Jacob Vanconant, Willow Canyon built a big first half lead, 28-14 at halftime.
Led by 13 first half points from Jacob Vanconant, Willow Canyon was off and running in the first half, and would not look back. Vanconant would also start the second half with a three-pointer, as Willow Canyon would outscore Dysart 33 to 21 in the second half.
Willow Canyon would not have much size on their team, so they would throw numerous players all night at Dysart HS 6-foot-10 senior post Malik Ondigo - slowing Ondigo down a great deal in the game, while also making it very difficult for him to get good low post position. Ondigo would finish with a poor shooting night from the field, as he would struggle from the field against a much smaller team. Dvonne Walker provided much of the strong defense on Ondigo on the night for Willow Canyon, while his teammates provided excellent help-side support.
Willow Canyon will compete again on Tuesday night when they travel to face Greenway HS on the road.
Recruiting Notes: While still developing a great deal, Dysart HS 6-foot-10 senior post Malik Ondigo has developed a great deal over the last year, and has emerged as one of the elite post prospects in the 2016 class. As a result of Ondigo's development as a player, he has generated some serious college interest.
Ondigo currently has two offers on the table from UTEP a, nd Cal Poly. He is also receiving strong interest from Stanford, Wichita State, Wyoming, Santa Clara, Grand Canyon, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah, Weber State and San Jose State.
I caught up with Ondigo Monday evening, and he advised me that he plans to go to a prep school next year for a post-graduate year - making him a 2017 prospect. An excellent student, Ondigo is still only a mere 16 years of age, and will turn 17 in a couple weeks. A year of post-graduate work will benefit Ondigo very well, as he will have time to mature physically and mentally as a player. After another year before entering the collegiate ranks, Ondigo will have an opportunity to be recruited at a much higher level for himself, as he will develop a great deal.
Post players often take a much longer time to develop as college prospects, and as a result, I always have to project where a student-athlete will land over time. A post talent such as Ondigo projects extremely well, since he has excellent length and is still growing. His length and athleticism are attractive and his work ethic is as well. Ondigo has the body and early skillset that suggests that he will only continue to develop a great deal - becoming a strong recruiting target in the future.
