Apollo High School (21-3) has been on a tear since a loss to Mesa High School in the Mountain View High School Basketball Invitational - winning their last 10 games in a row on the season. The loss to Mesa High School came when Apollo was without several of their top players, due to disciplinary reasons. Now back to full strength, this team has cruised throughout the season.
As the team now focuses on the Division-II state playoffs, and an eventual match-up with division favorite Shadow Mountain HS, the Hawks would host rival Greenway HS on Friday evening. It was an intense match-up between two tough teams, and would make for some fireworks in the game.
Apollo would lead the majority of the game - taking a 47-37 lead into the fourth period. Greenway (12-7) would not lay down and would fight hard to get back in the game early in the fourth period. After a nice driving layup from 6-foot-4 junior guard Jared Vigil, Greenway would pull to within 2 points, 45-43.
With 4:22 left to play in the game, talented junior guard Dre Marin would foul out after a poor shooting night. As he has done all season, gifted 6-foot junior point guard Holland "Boo Boo" Woods (pictured) would take the game over on both ends of the floor, as he had done for the entire game. Woods would lead the Apollo offense with his scoring off the dribble, and also creating scoring opportunities for his teammates - almost at will. Woods has added some upperbody strength and size to his once smaller frame, and, as a result, he has looked great this high school season.
Woods would lead Apollo to a nice 63-51 victory over a tough, hardnosed Greenway team.
This Apollo team is talented and has excellent guards, suggesting that they should be very tough to beat in the state playoffs. I look for the skilled backcourt duo of Woods and Dre Marin to lead this athletic group of players, which includes a very good supporting cast, to late in the Division-II state playoff.
Notes: Greenway (12-7) is a very tough team heading into the state playoffs. They came into Friday night's game with Apollo HS as winners of their last 5 games in a row on the season, and winners of 7 of their last 8 games. Led by legendary head coach Howard Mueller, the Demons are primed to be an upset team in this year's state playoffs. The team is led by the play of 6-foot-3 junior guard Scotty Shaver, who is a sharp-shooting and tough defensive guard that plays with excellent intensity. 6-foot-2 senior forward Bryce Martin is a do-it-all type with a good overall skill level. A tweener, Martin is tough and plays much bigger than his size suggests on the glass. 6-foot-4 junior guard Jared Vigil is a versatile guard with good size and length, and a good penetrator and finisher. This trio of players led by Mueller will make Greenway a team that should upset someone when it counts. Watch for this team.
