Montini Christmas Tournament: Junior Evals

This past weekend, I was at Montini Catholic High School for the final day of the Montini Christmas Tournament, which featured several of the best Girls Basketball teams in the state. I was present for six games on Saturday and noticed dozens of impressive players. I know that there were even more outstanding performances throughout the week, but here are some Juniors who stood out to me on Saturday: &nbsp; Forward <strong>Ella Gilbertson</strong> of Lake Zurich impressed with her ability to have success both down in the post and out on the wing. Gilbertson can score the ball well at either position and finish strong when driving in the lane. She finished with 9pts and 3reb against Hersey. Evanston Township had a pair of Juniors that stood out in the teams dominating win over Geneva. PG <strong>Kayla Henning</strong> was nearly unstoppable off the dribble and a smooth finisher in the lane. Down low, <strong>Jayla Turchin</strong> is a rebounding machine, but can do a little bit of everything. Turchin is able to shoot the three well, handle the ball in transition, and is overall very fundamental. Turchin finished with 15pts and 12reb against Geneva and was named 2^nd Team All-Tournament. Geneva didn’t have its best game against Evanston, but <strong>Lindsey Blackmore</strong> really put on a show. The 6’0’’ Forward is very smooth in the lane and has an excellent post game. Also able to step outside and knockdown shots. Blackmore finished with 20pts and 8reb. Benet has a very deep and talented team, so its really hard to just pick a couple standouts, but I thought that <strong>Kendall Holmes</strong> was great against Marist. The 5’11’’ Guard made key jumpers throughout the game and is very cool with the ball in her hands. She finished with 10pts and 5reb and was named 1^st Team All-Tournament. On the other side of the 5^th place game, <strong>Jenna Ryan</strong> made vital plays to help keep Marist in the game against Benet. The 5’8’’ Guard is very quick into the lane and able to play tough on-ball defense. Also has the ability to shoot from deep. Ryan finished the game with 9pts. <strong>Jenna Badali</strong> had a very good game to wrap up a solid all-around tournament. The Guard from McAuley has a great outside shot and quickness to beat her defender one-on-one. Badali finished with 13pts against Fremd and was named 2^nd Team All-Tournament. Helping lead her team to a tournament championship, <strong>Kaylen Evans</strong> from Nazareth made a huge impact. Evans has a very mature presence about her and moves exceptionally well with the ball in her hands. She sees the court well and can knock down shots beyond the 3pt line. Evans finished the championship game with 14pts and 3reb and was named 2^nd Team All-Tournament.