Bullitt East Hooparama 2019 Recap

Saturday featured a series of scrimmages at Bullitt East loaded with some of the best teams in the state.  This annual pre-season showcase gives us the first look at this season's version of a bevy of powerhouse teams and top players in Kentucky.  This year's Hooparama was no different, a day filled with some great basketball.  Here is a recap of the scrimmages that took place Saturday, and keep your eyes peeled for more in-depth looks at some of the top performers over the next few days. <strong>Central vs Meade County</strong> In what was expected to be a shootout between two of the highest-scoring teams in the state, Meade County was able to slow down the Yellow Jacket attack by way of an aggressive full-court press.  This created a fast-paced, physical game, and Meade County was better able to take advantage.  <strong>Kendall Wingler</strong> was the clear standout for the Green Waves, while underclassmen <strong>Aubrey Hardesty,</strong> (sophomore) <strong>Mattie Clanton, </strong>(freshman) and <strong>Peyton Bradley</strong> (7th) all played well also.  For Central, senior <strong>Montrice Ryland </strong>and sophomore <strong>Briontanay Marshall</strong> both had strong performances. <strong>Scott vs Webster County</strong> This game was a tale of two halves.  Scott was able to dominate a sloppy, foul-laden the first half behind the play of juniors <strong>Sofia Allen </strong>and <strong>Malayia Lewis.  </strong>Webster County was able to rebound with a more organized second-half lead by seniors <strong>Marissa Austin </strong>and <strong>Dezeray Crowder</strong> as well as junior <strong>Adeline McDyer.</strong> <strong>Ryle vs Bullitt East</strong> In perhaps the best matchup of the day, Ryle Lady Raiders and Bullitt East Lady Chargers presented a heavyweight clash of styles.  The Lady Chargers clearly wanted to get out and run, and they were successful when they were able to speed up the pace.  It was an overall team effort, although standouts included senior <strong>Lexi Taylor,</strong> <strong>Caroline Scott</strong>, and <strong>Kennedy Griffin</strong> as well as sophomore <strong>Gracie Merkle</strong> showing flashes of dominance in the paint.  The Lady Raiders looked to slow things down and when they were able to get into their half-court sets, the superb skill of senior leader <strong>Maddie Scherr</strong> , as well as junior Brie Crittendon and freshman Abby Holtman, was able to shine through.  These looked like two teams poised for big things this season. <strong>DuPont Manual vs Owensboro Catholic</strong> This was the best defensive matchup of the day, as both teams played swarming, unceasing defense that led to a low-scoring matchup full of turnovers.  Senior <strong>Spencer Harvey </strong>was able to knock down shots in the second half for Owensboro until senior standout <strong>Hannah McKay </strong>emerged in the second half to lead the offense.  For Manual, sophomore <strong>Kennedy Lee </strong>was strong inside, while seniors <strong>Kayla Thompson </strong>and <strong>Dejah Chapman </strong>stood out for their excellent defense and hustle. <strong>Sacred Heart vs Bethlehem</strong> While Sacred Heart was able to dominate this matchup on the scoreboard, it never felt like Bethlehem were being blown out.  Junior <strong>Amelia Hodges</strong> did a good job running the Banshee offense shot well, while the rest of the team remained aggressive, never making it easy for Sacred Heart.  Despite this, senior <strong>Erin Toller</strong> showed out in her return, spearheading a deadly Valkyrie attack that also featured great performances from seniors <strong>Destinee Marshall</strong> and<strong> Kristen Clemons, </strong>as well as freshman <strong>Triniti Ralston</strong>. <strong>Mercy vs Woodford County</strong> Mercy featured perhaps the best offensive attack of the day.  Led by Miss Basketball contender <strong>Taziah Jenks</strong>, seniors <strong>Paige Taylor </strong>and <strong>Hope Sivori </strong>also had standout performances, although everyone who saw the floor for Jaguars played well.  The only thing that could slow them down was the physical inside play of Woodford seniors <strong>Delaney Enlow</strong> and <strong>Kayla Harlow</strong> who dominated on the boards and drew plenty of fouls to keep the Yellow Jackets in the game. &nbsp;