What did we learn at the Pana Shootout?

With opportunity to see a few players “live” for the first time I came away with some very lasting impressions of top players, emerging players and emerging teams.

Nancy Fritzsche  a 5’11 senior from Greenville is about as strong and tough as they come. In the game I observed she was absolutely dominating inside. She seemed to get every defensive rebound, was constantly in good post position and was able to finish and showed the ability to step out and play away from the basket. In one sequence she got another rebound and when she did not see an outlet pass she tool the ball the length of the floor on her own and finished in traffic. She will be tough to stop in her senior year.

Madyson Harper a 5’6 junior from Midwest Central is great with the ball in her hands. She handles it exceptionally well and can use a variety of dribble moves effectively to get around her defender. A right handed shooter that prefers the ball in her left hand when setting up her moves, Harper can also finish in a variety of ways. In the game I observed the 3 point shot wasn’t falling but she proved during her sophomore year that she can hit the outside shot. She will definitely score at a high rate next season.

Shania Schoonover a 5’7 senior guard from Pana is a strong guard that knows how to get to the basket and can finish with both hands in the lane. She is fast and will run the floor on the break to get additional opportunities. She is fundamentally strong and should have a big senior year.

The Highland girls are ready to continue fighting for the top spot in the Missouri Valley conference. Elle Brown and Emmy Nyquist are returning guards that will run the team. Brown is a 2020 player and Nyquist a 2019 player. They are the two leading scorers returning along with the assist and steals leaders. Highland also has a duo of up and coming 4/5 players in 2021’s Taylor Kesner and Bella LaPorta. Both girls saw action during their freshman year and look to really make their mark in their sophomore year.

The Civic Memorial girls are reloading again to continue that battle with Highland for Missouri Valley supremacy. The Eagles will count on juniors Anna Hall and Kourtland Tyus to lead the way. They are two year starters for Coach Denney and will take over the leadership roles for the team. They will need to score more to replace the points lost to graduation. The Eagles will have a much more athletic look than they have the past few years with Tori Standefer returning to the starting lineup and Harper Buhs and Hannah Sontag most likely joining them. All three are extremely athletic 2021’s that should fit well into the defensive system that the Eagles love to use.

The Pana staff put on an excellent event that showcased a large amount of area talent. There were many potential All State players and some teams that could make a deep playoff run if they can stay healthy and get hot at the right time.