Mississippi Valley Conference: Who is doing the dirty work?

As a part of our on going series of preview articles about the Mississippi Valley Conference we will talk a little about the girls in the conference doing the dirty work. Every team needs those girls that are going to hit the boards and defend. These players are the players that are the glue that holds the team together. Like they say, defense wins championships!

• Hannah Hudson is a 5’10 senior that is Jerseyville’s leading rebounder. Hannah pulled down 7.5 rebounds per game for the Panthers last year. She is definitely a leader on a team made up of many underclassmen. Hannah is excellent at getting position and is relentless in her passion to go get the ball.
• Mae Riffel is a 5’10 senior for Highland that Coach Hamilton expects to be a big part of his first team at Highland. He says Mae is a hard nosed player that does the dirty work. She rebounds very well and he considers her to be the top defender on the team. At 5’10 and athletic Mae is capable of defending well in the post or on the wing. She brings the versatility to the team that every coach loves to have.
• Kourtland Tyus is a 5’6 junior guard for Civic Memorial. She has been the point guard for the team since her first day as a freshman. She knows and executes Coach Jonathon Denny’s defensive scheme very well. She was able to get 2.6 steals per game last year which leads to much needed easy baskets. Kourtland is also a very good on ball defender in the half court.
• Abby Manns is a 5’7 junior wing from Jerseyville and is a force on the defensive end of the floor. During the summer she spent time guarding the opposing point guards with both her AAU and high school team. Abby being on the point guard was causing issues for the opposing teams. She averaged 2 steals per game last year but I could really see her increasing that number this year. In addition she was the second leading rebounder on the team at 5.4 per game. She is excellent at using her length and quickness.
• Anna Hall is a 5’11 junior forward from Civic Memorial that uses her strength to be a very effective rebounder at 7 per game. She is also very smart and takes the right chances to get steals and averaged 2 per game. In the run and jump system that Coach Denney employs it is often the forwards cheating up from the back court to get steals. Hall does a good job of anticipating the bad passes and getting the steal. She is a tough player that will do whatever the teams needs.
• Caliegh Miller is a 6’0 senior post player that is the top rebounder returning at 6.1 per game. Miller is strong and physical and will be an important part of the Triad season. In a conference full of guards that can penetrate and score her defense in defending the lane will be critical.
• Emmy Nyquist is a 5’7 senior guard for Highland. Emmy averaged over 2 steals per game last year and is another player that Coach Hamilton can count on to do the dirty work. She is a leader and strong defender and because of this it will assist Coach Hamilton in having a trusted veteran to help direct the team..

In a conference that will no  doubt have many close games it will often be the little things that will separate the winners from the losers. It will be these girls that are most likely to be the glue that holds their team together in the tough nights in December and January that lead to conference championships.

Photograph courtesy of the Alton Telegraph