NWO/NEO 3 on 3 League – Five Takeaways from Week #3

As June progresses – HS basketball teams in Ohio are working hard to develop chemistry and improve with sights on the 2019-2020 season. There are a number of shootouts and leagues that coaches and players take advantage of. One of these leagues is the NEO/NWO 3 on 3 league. A rare non 5-on-5 setting, this 3 on 3 league – has its own share of quality teams and talent. Week #3 of the NEO 3 on 3 league was held at Shelby High School and Week #3 of the NWO 3 on 3 league was held at Ontario High School and we have 5 takeaways from that first night of games – which featured over 200 match-ups for HS/College teams from all divisions. The double-elimination tournament to conclude the league will be held at Berlin Hiland on 6/24, featuring 40+ HS teams and nearly a dozen D2/D3 college teams from the state of Ohio. <strong>Emma Brown is healthy and she is ready to lead Copley to a winning season.</strong> Copley finished Week #3 with a 6-1 record in the NEO division - one of the top performances on the week. Emma Brown is clearly the leader of Copley's team and after a challenging winter during her junior season - where she missed a lot of time due to a severe concussion during an early-season game - she has shown in June why she is one of Ohio's top 3-point shooters. <strong>The Santoro sisters will once again give Bellevue one of the state's top backcourts.</strong> Bellevue finished the regular season of the 3 on 3 league with the top record from the NWO division. Their 7-0 Week #3 performance and 20-3 overall record were in-large part due to the efforts of the Santoro sisters. Kent State bound Casey Santoro and her sister <strong>Cory Santoro (pictured above)</strong> - a superb 2021 guard in her own right - can score the basketball at will and do an outstanding job of playing off of each others' penetration. Because of their guard play, Bellevue is an early favorite to win the HS division tournament at Berlin Hiland on 6/24. <strong>Taylor Malson is going to become a household name during her junior season.</strong> Malson was a 1st- team all conference selection last winter for the state-ranked Margaretta Polar Bears. Although they were missing a number of their "top" varsity-level players, Malson led Margaretta to a 6-1 record during Week #3, where she earned Player of the Week honors and was often one of the top players on the court. He mix of size, speed and athleticism blend well with her skill level - making her a very tough match-up for opposing defenses. With six graduated contributors and a number of teams focusing their defenses on Jayden Moore - Malson could put up some huge offensive numbers this year. <strong>Revere is going to be an intriguing team to watch during the 2019-2020 campaign. </strong> Playing without standout Adison Novosel, Revere finished week #3 with a 6-1 record. Led by 5'5 guard Taylor Kenna, Revere looked especially quick off of the dribble. They had outstanding depth at Shelby and although they are relatively young compared to other teams in the league, the future looks very bright for Coach Dan Brown's group. <strong>There are a number of teams that can walk out of Berlin Hiland as the champions of the NEO/NWO 3 on 3 League.</strong> One could argue that although there are outstanding 5 on 5 leagues in the state of Ohio, the tournament at Berlin Hiland will have the largest collection of top teams in one spot in the summer of 2019. The HS portion of the tournament includes Bellevue, Margaretta, Berlin Hiland, Wadsworth, Hoban, Elyria Catholic, Chippewa, Loudonville, River Valley, Dalton, Smithville, Norwayne, Waynedale, Pleasant, Shelby and Buckeye Central - along with over 2 dozen other squads. The college bracket features Ohio Dominican, Ashland, Walsh, Malone, Mount Vernon Nazarene, Marietta, Mount Union, Baldwin Wallace and Muskingum. It will certainly be a "who's who" of talent for girls basketball players in the state of Ohio. &nbsp; &nbsp;