It is playoff time around the country and in the state of Arizona, we are even closer to the final game of the season. In the 5A classification, two of the best teams In the state were paired up in a dandy of a semifinal. Gilbert hosted McClintock and those who made it into the gym were treated to a gem.

What I liked from the Gilbert 81-76 overtime win over McClintock to advance to the 5A state championship game in Arizona.

- In the post-season, you need a senior who you can trust. And Gilbert has as trustworthy of a guard in the backcourt in Nikko Pentelute. The battle-tested guard from Gilbert had to pivot his purpose a bit in the first half of the action because of early foul trouble. He was another coach on the bench and the motivating voice In the huddle when senior leadership was needed. On the court, he was clutch on the free throw line and ever-ready to catch-and-shoot from deep. The Tigers fed off his energy and carried it all the way to a stormed court and all night celebration.

- KJ Perry was the most complete player on the floor in this game. He was nearly flawless in the first half. He missed just one shot and only had one turnover in the first 16 minutes of action. With Pentelute on the bench with fouls, the Tigers leaned on Perry to carry them to a 42-25 halftime lead. Perry finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals in the win. In this contest, Perry was the MVP of the action. He was fantastic in the win.

- Just how cool under pressure was sophomore guard Isaiah Bronson? He was a huge calming presence in the second half for Gilbert as they took all of the best shots from McClintock. Bronson stepped up with an attitude of “hey, I’ve been here before”. The class of 2024 guard was perfect from the foul line in overtime. Did we just see a young player make the next step in his clutch development? Probably so. Arizona’s 2024 guard class is strong and Bronson will certainly be in the conversation moving forward with regards to the best guards in the state of Arizona.

- Atmosphere. It was so fun to see a gym in the suburbs jam-packed with people for a high-level high school basketball game. It felt darn near nostalgic. The standing-room-only crowd was treated to a brilliant show. A state playoff semifinal at a high school gym has a different feel to it and you could tell the hoops community was hunger for such a game. It was cool to see and fun to have a seat for the show.

- For McClintock, a big three-pointer from senior guard Pascal Voiz tied the action in the final possessions of regulation. The Gilbert crowd stood a bit shocked at the comeback and Voiz acted like he’d been there before. He was the quiet killer in the McClintock comeback. The steady senior guard finished with 20 points in the loss. 

- Senior Jaylen Wesley saved his best work in the second half and into the push to overtime. He's a force to guard when he powers his way to the rim and he'll challenge defenders to try and stop his freight train force en route to the basket. Wesley, one of the top scorer's in the state of Arizona, finished with 19 points in the loss. 

- EJ Scroggins was the hardest player on the McClintock team to guard. The 6-foot-4 junior wing finished with 20 points, big plays on defense and thrived on the defensive end of the floor. Keep an eye on him this spring and summer. He could be on the brink of a recruiting come up.