Southwestern Conference: Who is doing the dirty work?

<em>Picture courtesy of the Belleville News Democrat</em> &nbsp; As a part of our on going series of preview articles about the Southwestern 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. Every team needs that point guard to run the show and lead the team on the court.These players are the players that are the glue that holds the team together. Like they say, defense wins championships! <ul> <li><strong>Kaylah Rainey </strong>is a 5'6 Senior guard from Belleville East that is committed to attend Northwestern next year. There is good reason for a Big 10 school to want Kaylah. She is the ultimate point guard. She is fast, can defend and is a pass first player. Kaylah averaged 4.8 assists and 4.3 steals per game as a junior. Belleville East returns many talented players, but it starts with Kaylah Rainey.</li> <li><strong>Jaylen Townsend </strong>is a 5'8 Senior wing from Edwardsville. Jaylen has taken on the role of the ultimate glue player in her varsity career. She has been a lock down defender and pulled down 4 rebounds per game last year. She is willing to do whatever the team needs and so far that has not been scoring. That is fine with Jaylen, she just wants to win. She will need to score more this year but will still relish doing the little things that a winning team needs.</li> <li><strong>Mya Glanton </strong>is a 6' ft post player from East St. Louis that is dominant on the defensive end. She averaged over 11 rebounds and blocked almost 2 shots per game. Mya can affect almost any shot taken in the lane and also averaged 1.2 steals per game. She changes the game by just being in the game.</li> <li><strong>Quierra Love </strong>is a 5'5 Junior guard from Edwardsville that really causes problems on the floor with her speed. As a point guard her ability to push the ball up the floor leads to opportunities for her team. Que averaged just over 2 assists and 2 steals for Edwardsville last year. She will certainly see those numbers grow this year as she takes on more responsibility due to graduation of 3 key seniors.</li> <li><strong>B'Aunce Carter </strong>is 6' ft post from Belleville East that averaged 2.4 blocks per game last year. B'Aunce averaged over 7 rebounds per game and had many games over 10. Because of her shot blocking she can often change a game by limiting any opportunities in the lane. She a high game of 7 blocks last year and had many over 4.</li> <li><strong>Kayla Gordon </strong>is a 5'5 Junior guard from O'Fallon that is another very good floor general in this conference. Kayla handles the ball well, directs traffic and is an excellent defender. She will get steals with quick hands and getting in the passing lanes. She is very unselfish and is never worried about getting her points but instead is focused on leading her team.</li> </ul> The Southwestern Conference is very strong at the point guard position and the post position. To compete for the top spot in the conference you will have to be able to handle the speed of Rainey and Love. If you want to win this conference you will have to be able to score inside with Glanton and Carter roaming the lane. This conference is loaded with players doing the little things that keep a team together. The glue players are there doing the dirty work. Next article I will pick a 5 person All Conference team and also an MVP.