Impact Players at Florida Prospects Thanksgiving Classic in Orlando (Part Two)

Florida Prospects hosted a Thanksgiving tournament that lasted two days and featured 19 teams in total this weekend. I attended the event all day on Saturday to see 16 of those teams play at Dr. Phillips HS. I will be doing a separate write-up for the powerhouse battle between Miami Country Day and Lake Highland Prep. Here are some of the top players I saw in the second half of the day in Orlando:   Game 5 - Winter Haven beats Dr. Phillips with a balanced attack (58-34) Trinity Hardy 5'9 Jr. - She was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Lady Blue Devils with 18 and 11 to notch a strong double-double. Trinity shot really well from inside of the arc and grabbed boards on both sides on the floor. Her game is solid all around as she added a couple of assists and steals to boot. Kayla Smith 5'10 So. - She is a really smooth player with her lengthy frame, and scored at all three levels on Saturday with 12 points on a couple of three pointers. Kayla's stock has risen in 2019 and once you see this lefty in person, you will understand why. I am excited to see how she develops during her career.   Game 6 - Miami High puts it on shorthanded West Orange (56-39) Darria Whitley 5'7 Sr. - She was the most impressive overall player in this game. Darria ended with 9 points and can score from anywhere on the floor. I really liked her defense and athleticism in this one. Jeannine Scott 5'5 Sr. - The usual scorers didn't put up their total (Colleen Bucknor had 4 points but rebounded well and Kiara Cruz had 2 points), so Jeannine stepped it up on offense. She made it rain from behind to arc to give the Stingarees a big advantage through 3 quarters of the game.   Camryn Siemer 5'5 Sr. - The Warriors were without Ajalon Gillard (broken finger) and Paris Pickett for 3 quarters, so Camryn had a lot of weight on her shoulders. She contributed 12 points with a lot of those coming from the line, but she didn't have a 3 which is her bread and butter. Lakada Bryant 6'1 Jr. - She really stepped up with Paris Pickett out most of the game. Lakada had 10 points and was strong inside the paint against Miami HS. Her rebounding was crucial, and I think she had the best overall game for West Orange in this matchup.   Game 7 - Florida Prep holds on against Spruce Creek (59-57) Emma Risch 6'0 Fr. - She showed why she is one of the best Freshman in the state by hitting two free throws with 5 seconds left to take a 2-point lead. She's got ice in her veins. Aleah Sorrentino sat this one out, so Emma stepped up for her team and scored 17 points on 3 three pointers in a game that the Falcons were up 15 at half. Emma flirted with a double-double by bringing down a team-leading nine rebounds too. Emani Burks 6'2 Jr. - She had to step up with Aleah out, and she did just that against a smaller Spruce Creek team. Emani controlled the boards with 8 rebounds and put up 10 points with her nice mid-range game. This is a lengthy 2A squad that will give teams fits all season long. Shamya Joiner So. - She is one of the best hustlers and grinders that I've seen this season. Shamya scored eight, had nine assists, and seven boards with a steal and a big charge taken. I really like the energy and slashing ability she brings to the Falcons squad. Paige McDonald 5'11 So. - She is another Sophomore who won't fill it up on points (she had 8), but she will do everything else for this team to make them successful. Paige had three assists, a steal, and multiple pass deflections by using her length at the top of the zone. Alonya Waldon 5'4 Fr. - I really liked the energy and play from Alonya. She was all over the floor on both sides and distributed the ball well to her team. Alonya had six points and two assists with good minutes in this game.   Peryonna Sylvester 5'5 Sr. - She is one of the best point guards in the state and showed why on Saturday. Peryonna, a North Florida commit, is a quick guard who has great court vision to find her teammates or score it herself. She ended with 10 points on the night, and helped will this team back into the game in the second half. She sustained an injury at the end of the game, so everyone hopes it isn't anything serious. Emma Perna 5'5 Jr. - She had some big 3's and free throws that brought the Hawks back into this game after a slow first half. Emma led her team in scoring with 15 points on 3 three pointers. Kacie Oelkers 5'7 Jr. - This girl has a really nice shot and uses her frame well against bigger opponents. She finished with 9 points and is a key part to the team and how much success they will have.   Game 8 - Timber Creek jumps on Lake Minneola early (59-49) Savannah Henderson 6'1 So. - It's no shock that Savannah is one of the best 2022's in the state. The Hawks did not have an answer for her, and she scored whenever she pleased. She finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds for the night in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicates. Savannah is a high level prospect that is going to have a stellar career at her size and her ability to score at all three levels. Jourdan Avery 5'5 Sr. - This is a girl that everyone should want on their team. She scored 14 points, had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals which made for a pretty stat line. Jourdan is a scrapper who will outwork just about anyone. Sarah Napoli 5'6 Sr. - She is the primary shooter on this team who ended with 9 points on a couple of threes with a couple of steals too. Sarah will continue her career at Embry Riddle as a nice guard piece who is very unselfish on the floor.   Josiany Canales 5'7 Sr. - She is the main source of scoring for the Hawks and she did just that with 16 on the night. Josiany has a nice shot when she gets set and has a strong drive to the right side. Her stat line also consisted of 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals as the leader of this team. Analiese Harris 6'0 Jr. - She is the best post on this team, and the team looked a lot better when she was on the court. Analiese scored 10 and brought down 5 boards on the evening.