Caution . . . Flammable! Six Heat Check Players at the Nebraska State Tournament

<strong>Hannah Newton (5’10" Junior Guard, Crete): </strong>Newton is a great compliment to play with Creighton-bound [player_tooltip player_id="94287" first="Morgan" last="Maly"].  A deadly shooter who can create a little bit off the bounce, Newton also gets out into passing lanes and can create offense from her defense.  She is a better passer than what she looks like, and she can hit shots in spurts for the Cardinals.  She will need to play well the next couple of days for the Cardinals to continue to move forward, especially if Maly continues to nurse her sore ankle. <strong>Breanna Stai (6’0" Junior Forward, Norris): </strong>Stai almost led the Titans to an epic upset of the top-seeded Cardinals, notching 18 points, including four 3 pointers.  Stai has really expanded her game in the last month, and it is no coincidence that her hot shooting led the Titans through two of their more complete games all season.  This campaign has just ended, but with everyone back except for one graduation, look for Norris to be near the top of the Class B preseason rankings next season. <strong>Payton Burda (5’7" Freshman Guard, Scottsbluff) and [player_tooltip player_id="94318" first="Aubry" last="Krentz"] (5’6" Senior Guard, Scottsbluff): </strong>Burda and Krentz really stood out in the Bearcats upset victory over Bennington tonight.  Krentz struggled from the field, but you can tell that she has a solid shot and is very confident in her stroke.  Burda was more consistent tonight, netting two big 3 pointers in the second half as the Bearcats pulled away.  If Krentz can knock down a few of the open looks that she created tonight, while Burda continue to play well, Scottsbluff may find itself playing Saturday afternoon with a chance for a state title. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94501" first="Taylor" last="McCabe"] (5’9" Sophomore Guard, Fremont): </strong>Perhaps the state’s best sophomore, McCabe played a very even game tonight against Westside, but she set up her teammates well and then hit two really big three pointers when Westside was trying to mount a comeback in the third quarter.  McCabe is an impressive (and rare) three-level scorer who can score off of isolation or coming off of screens, and she could very well turn the tide of the entire Class A tournament if she hits a hot streak. <strong>Jill Aschoff (5’7" Junior Guard, Lincoln Pius X): </strong>Aschoff cracks this list for a different reason; she is one of the best passers that I have seen come out of the state in recent years.  She is outstanding at hitting classmate [player_tooltip player_id="94394" first="Alexis" last="Markowski"] on the post entry pass, and you can see her mind working two or three steps ahead as she brings the ball up the floor to attack the defense.  Aschoff is a capable scorer (11 ppg), but she does an outstanding job of creating runs for the Thunderbolts by finding the right player at the right time for the easy basket.