Border League: Saturday's Standouts

Las Vegas, Nevada – On3 has made its way out west for the Border League and there’s no shortage of talent. Plenty of top ranked players touched the court throughout the evening at Bishop Gorman High School, located just 10 miles from the Las Vegas strip. It goes without being said, being in that gym was the place to be all day Saturday.

Here are your standouts from the Top Flight division.

Game 1: AJ Johnson, Sebestian Mack, others

AJ Johnson led the way for Donda in a win over Coronado. When Johnson gets out in the open court, watch out. He will need to continue to put muscle on his long and wiry frame, but he’s extremely athletic. The 6-3 guard has all the right tools to be really good. He was MUCH better today and was incredibly efficient and productive from the field. He finished with a team-high 24 points and added four assists.

Robert Dillingham of Donda was making it rain early from three, while also getting to the paint and scoring off the bounce. He also found his teammates quite well. The Kentucky commit shot the ball much better today, finishing with 17 points, three assists, and three steals, but had four turnovers. Also for Donda, Jacob Bannarbie was vital and gave them a powerful, strong presence inside. He didn’t miss a single shot all night, connecting on all seven of his field goal attempts, and swished each of his free throws. His final stat line: 18 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists.

Sebastian Mack continued to show his scoring ability, inside and out. He finished with a strong 33 point game in the loss to Donda. The Las Vegas native is a three-level scorer and is a fearless shooter.

Game 2: John Mobley Jr., Cayden Boozer

The hometown team, Bishop Gorman, was able to scrape by with a win over Christopher Columbus, a lot in part because of John Mobley Jr.‘s shooting ability. The 6-0 point guard is known as a shooter (NBA range), and while yes, he can do that very well, he can also create for his teammates. On Saturday night, he completed 46% of his field goal attempts, 50% from three, and 83% from the stripe. He finished with a game high 29 points.

I’m also intrigued by Chris Nwuli. Nwuli is a fierce competitor in the class of 2025 for Bishop Gorman. It’s always pedal to the metal with him. At 6-7, he’s a two way athlete that defends his tail off, rebounds, and does all the little things. He finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, but had four turnovers. Not bad for a sophomore in high school.

Cayden Boozer was key for Christopher Columbus, despite the loss. The 6-3 guard put his head down and finished some hard takes towards the rim. He also got after it defensively, with a couple blocks. And yes, Carlos Boozer is his dad. Cayden finished with a team-high 22 points on 61% from the field. He also added seven assists and three steals, but had six turnovers.

The bigger Boozer, Cameron, sees the floor very well to be nearing 6-10. The talent and upside is very obvious and I’m excited to see him continue to strengthen his outside shot. I would like to see him be a bit more vocal and aggressive offensively, get the rim, and show some more grit. He finished with 12 points, 15 boards, and six assists.

Game 3: Chris Johnson, Aaron McBride

Chris Johnson of Montverde was terrific once again for Montverde. The Kansas commit initiated the offense as the primary ball handler and was able to create his own shot. This man is hooping and deserves a bump in the rankings. He finished with a team-high 21 points.

The mid range was falling for Duke commit Sean Stewart. Per usual, he was aggressive around the rim and defensively. He’s as reliable as they come. He finished with eight points and nine boards. Derik Queen was also very effective in and around the rim, finishing with nine points and five boards. Additionally, I think I’m Cooper Flagg’s biggest fan. He does everything for Montverde; defends, rebounds, controls the tempo, and can get his team a bucket when needed. One of the leaders for this MVA team as a sophomore. Intangibles are off the chart.

Aaron McBride was terrific for Corona Centennial, despite the loss. The 6-7 forward is always in attack mode and plays his tail off. He crashed the boards, got the easy putbacks and finished well around the rim. He can even step back and knock down the three. The LMU commit finished with a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds. Duke commit Jared McCain did not have the best shooting performance, but still managed to rack in 17 points. UCLA commit Devin Williams was solid as well and we continue to see him peel back the layers of his full potential.

Game 4: AZ Compass

I’ve really been impressed with this AZ Compass team. They are so well rounded and coached extremely well. Each of their guys bring something to the table, and they have one of the deepest benches in America. Mookie Cook, Marcus Allen, Rayvon Griffith, and Tru Washington all finished with double-digit points.

AZ Compass defeated Sierra Canyon by 20+ points.