17u Blue Star Silvey National Championships in Atlanta review

In their last AAU event of the year, and most of them for their careers, the 17U Blue Star Silvey team made the Gold division finals. Unfortunately they came out on the losing end, but it was exciting for them to post some wins to end their career in AAU. &nbsp; <strong>Jaylen Townsend  </strong> of Edwardsville continued her excellent play and rise up the rankings. Jaylen was a scoring threat in every game and put up big numbers including games of 25 and 17 twice. Jaylen should be a college coaches delight. She has spent a good part of her high school career playing the back seat to stand outs like McKenzie Silvey, Rachel Pranger and Kate Martin. She has proven that she is an asset even if she doesn't score the ball because she is a defender and can pass the ball. Now, she is proving that she can score the ball too in a variety of ways. She can shoot the 3, hit the mid range and take it all the way to the rack and finish. High level D2's and lower level D1's should be on her trail. <strong>Sophia Bonaldi </strong>from Columbia had a good week. Sophia scored the ball including a high of 16 and double figures in another game with 12. She has a good shot with deep range and at 5'10 is a big guard that can take you to the hole. Sophia has good athletic ability and with long arms has what it takes to become an elite defender. She has been the main cog for her Columbia team the last two years and figures to score at a 16-18 point clip her senior year. She should be looked at by top NAIA and D2 schools. <strong>Katelynne Roberts </strong>is a 6'3 class of 2021 post from Edwardsville that played up with the 17u team in Atlanta and really held her own. Katelynne has been very successful for Coach Silvey's 15u team and took the challenge to help out the short handed 17u team in their last tourney. Katelynne is long and causes issues for anyone trying to score in the paint. She rebounds well and has a nice baby left handed ( weak hand) hook that she uses as one of her go to moves in the post. She has been working hard on the 15-17 foot shot and is improving and forcing opposing posts to respect her and open up the lanes for the high-low pass into her teammates. Katelynne is on the radar of a few D1 schools and the list will grow as she gains strength by hitting the weights. This tourney marked the end of the line for <strong>Megan Silvey, Maddy Stephens, Morgan Hulme and Kierra Winkeler.</strong> Megan, Maddy and Morgan will be a part of the senior class at Edwardsville that has the tall task of continuing the strong tradition that has been built. Megan and Maddy are both a good fit at the D3 level and Maddy has already been drawing some interest in her 5'11 stretch 4 frame. She can really shoot it and will work hard in the post for position. Megan is a leader on the floor and could be an asset to a coach if she decides to pursue it. Morgan could play too, but from what I understand she has other plans for her future. Kierra will be the leader for the strong Breese Mater Dei program and looks to build on the 14.7 point Junior campaign. She should definitely be on the radar for any NAIA or D2 program looking for a scoring point guard that will lock down on defense. Congratulations to Coach Silvey and his team on a great season. &nbsp;