Columbia Tip Off Tourney Preview
The Columbia High School girls program will once again host their opening week tip off tourney. Last year Greenville beat Columbia in the final. Both teams were hit by graduation, but look to be the favorites to return to the…
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Continue ReadingThe Columbia High School girls program will once again host their opening week tip off tourney. Last year Greenville beat Columbia in the final. Both teams were hit by graduation, but look to be the favorites to return to the finals. Here is a list of players to watch:
Greenville returns three of their top six, led by 6’4 2020 post Megan Hallemann. Halleman is the top returning scorer, rebounder and shot blocker for the Lady Comets. She is joined by sharp shooter Riley Pickett. Riley is a 2020 guard that will take over the primary ball handling role in addition to being the top 3-point shooting threat. Natalie Iberg is the other player that returns that played significant minutes last year. Natalie is a 5’8 2021 wing that is extremely athletic. She is an excellent defender using her length and quickness to get steals and blocks. For Greenville to reach their potential this year Natalie will have to score consistently.
Columbia lost their top scorers to graduation but Coach Germain isn’t ready to give up on winning their own tourney. Senior point guard Aryn Henke will be a key for the key. She is coming off an ACL surgery in January so she may be limited to start. Aryn averaged 9 points and 3 steals per game last year. Senior forward Avrie Barthel saw valuable minutes last year and was named most improved by the coaching staff. Seniors Paige Becker and Casey Wagner will also be expected to step in a play big roles filling the guard spots. The team will look different this year with so many new players. The team will also have more height than usual with the chance to play 3 players over 6ft at any given time.
Other top performers to watch for are:
- Adrenna Snipes is a 5’5 2022 point guard from Alton Marquette. Snipes burst onto the scene last year as a freshman with a big performance in leading Alton Marquette to 5th place. The season ended with Snipes being named Alton Telegraph small school player of the year.
- Abby Williams is a 5’9 2022 wing from Alton Marquette. Abby is a long, tough forward. She does a good job of getting the hole and scoring in the lane. Abby plays good defense and should have a big year for Coach Green.
- Danika White is a 5’10 2020 wing from New Athens. Danika is an excellent athlete that averaged 17 points per game last year. She is a very good mid range shooter and excels at getting to the basket.
- Aubrey Hubbard is a 5’8 2020 wing from Waterloo. Aubrey put her outside shot on display in Columbia tourney last year. She came in as a transfer student last year and caught teams napping. As the season progressed last year Aubrey improved her game off the dribble.She is looking to put it all together for a strong senior season.
- Destiny Williams is a 5’5 2020 point guard from Metro East Lutheran. Destiny is very quick with the ball in her hands. She can get end to end in a flash and is capable of getting into the lane in the half court set. She plays very good defense and should step up her scoring in her final season.
- Alyssa Powell is a 5’10 2022 forward from Triad. Alyssa saw valuable minutes as a freshman on a senior led team. She has some clear bounce and athleticism to her which she translates well on the defensive end. Alyssa has played with her back to the basket most of her career but will face up more this year. She will have the chance to be very good on the wing if she can improve her ball handling and shooting skills.
- Becca Mueller, Regan Lucas and Elissa Cohen will lead the Freeburg JV team that was brought in to cover the spot created when Lebanon was not able to field a team this year. Coach McQuisiton is confident this group will play hard and show energy and effort to the whistle in every game.
The Columbia tourney has displayed some top talent over the past few years. Lebanon made a state tourney run two years ago and Greenville only lost two games last year, both to a state tourney team. New Athens and Alton Marquette have both won Regionals, and a Sectional for New Athens, in the past few years. So, there is always an excitement of what the season may bring as this event tips off. This year will be no different. If you are looking for quality 1A and 2A teams to watch, make your way to Columbia next week.