Class 2A Wrap up and Evaluations
The 2A State Tourney was an exciting event. As has been the case lately the question coming in was can anyone stop the Chicago Marshall dynasty. Marshall plays in the tough Chicago Public League and always comes into the tourney…
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Continue ReadingThe 2A State Tourney was an exciting event. As has been the case lately the question coming in was can anyone stop the Chicago Marshall dynasty. Marshall plays in the tough Chicago Public League and always comes into the tourney battle tested and ready to go. Having won back to back titles by playing a style of relentless pressure and pushing the basketball, the issue at hand was can anyone handle that pressure for 32 minutes.
In the first opening round game Pleasant Plains used their experienced squad and a hot night from Caroline Jachino to get past Riverdale. Riverdale could never really get the offense rolling and ended up with a 42-27 loss. Jachino had 19 for Plains and Syndey Garrett had 12 for Riverdale.
In the other opening round game Carterville came in with a very experienced team and gave Marshall all it wanted for about 26 minutes. But, just as in years past when it had to do it, Marshall stepped up the pressure and delivered a win. They displayed an inside game that has not been seen before and added to their style of play. It was the combination and well rounded nature of the Marshall attack that ended up being too much for Carterville and put Marshall in another championship game. Kenosha Walker, a 6’1 post player, came off the Marshall bench to score 20 points. Jeniah Thompson and Abbey Crain led Carterville with 15.
In the 3rd place game Carterville came to play and ensure their season ended on a high note. They jumped out and won each of the first two quarters 19-9. That halftime lead of 38-19 was too much for Riverdale to overcome and the final was 61-38. Carterville was led again by Thompson with 20 and Megan Barton had 17. Riverdale was led by Garrett with 10.
In the championship game Pleasant Plains was looking to show they could handle the press and length of Marshall. Plains jumped out to a 26-17 halftime lead behind some key 3-pointers from reserve Emily Long. The 3rd quarter was slow and not much scoring but Plains did extend the lead to 34-23. As expected, Marshall made a run. They roared back into the game and gave Plains everything they wanted. But, in the end Plains handled the pressure and hit free throws to hold on and upset Marshall by a score of 43-37. Jachino and Asya Smith led them in scoring with 11 each.Marshall was led by Walker with 13.
Here are some of the key players that we saw showing their talents at Redbird Arena.
- Asya Smith is a 5’5 2021 guard that is the best all around player for Pleasant Plains. Smith scored 17 points in the two games. She hauled in 18 rebounds in the two games. Asya is a good ball handler, good passer and a smart player. She may not be the most talented in the game, but is always one of the most productive.
- Caroline Jachino is a 5’8 2020 guard from Pleasant Plains. Caroline had 30 points in the two games and went out on a high note for her basketball career. Caroline will run track and cross country in college and that stamina is a big part of what she does on the court. She is active on defense and is in constant motion in their offensive sets.
- Ali Fraase is a 5’3 2020 guard from Pleasant Plains. Ali was a key reason for the team winning the championship game against Marshall. The rest of the team cleared out and left Ali to bring the ball up one on one. She did not melt under the pressure.. Ali was calm, collected and patient in getting the ball up the floor and get the Lady Cardinals into their offense.
- Emily Long is a 5’7 2020 wing from Pleasant Plains. Emily came up big in the biggest game of her career. She has been known as a shooter to be watched but is not always a big part of what Plains does. She plays every game, but often the shots are not there. On this night, she hit two big shots from behind the 3-point line in the first half and another later in the game to give a tremendous spark to her team.
- Kenosha Walker is a 6’1 2020 post from Chicago Marshall. Walker burst on to the scene at the state tournament. She had 33 points in the two games and 20 rebounds. Walker was coming off an injury that kept her out until tournament time. She is definitely a diamond in the rough.
- Jalyn Jimenez is a 5’6 2020 guard from Chicago Marshall. Jimenez is instant offense. The microwave, she heats up quick. She can hit from deep range and will roam the 3 point line like a sniper looking for her opportunity. She can also penetrate and score, but the outside shot is her bread and butter. Jimenez had 9 points in each game.
- Roquesha Sims is a 5’7 2020 wing from Chicago Marshall. Sims is a strong wing player that will fight through contact to get into the lane. She is patient and smart on her drives to find the space to get her shot. Sims battled foul trouble in the championship game and only scored 4 points but she had 14 in the opening win over Carterville.
- Jayonna Smith is a 5’9 2021 forward from Chicago Marshall.Smith also struggled in the championship game but did have a nice opening game against Carterville. She had 10 points and showed her smooth athletic game. During the season she led the team with a 15 point per game average. She will definitely be counted on to lead the team next year.
- Jeniah Thompson is a 5’10 2020 forward from Carterville. She is signed to play at SIU and is the player that Carterville must go to when the chips are down. Thompson did not disappoint on this important weekend. She had 35 points and 16 rebounds in the two games and led the Lady Lions to 3rd place.
- Abbey Crain is a 5’5 2020 point guard from Carterville. Abbey is a big key to the team as the coach on the floor and an extension of her father, the coach. Crain can handle it and distribute like a true point guard, but is also a scoring threat. Crain scored 15 points in each game. She will be continuing her softball career at John A Logan college.
- Megan Barton is a 5’8 2020 guard from Carterville. Barton is a smooth wing that uses her length to be an effective defender. She does a good job causing turnovers by getting tight on the ball handler and taking away their line of sight to make passes. Megan has a very good mid range game that she uses to score on a consistent basis. She had 31 points in the two games.
- Alecia Doyle is a 5’7 2022 guard from Carterville. Doyle has a good mid range game on offense that most players don’t have. She can hit the 15-17 foot shot with ease. As the 4th option this year she has found herself with many opportunities as defenses have concentrated on the seniors. She will have to be a go to scorer next year. During the state tourney she averaged 7.5 points per game.
- Sidney Barrett is a 5’10 2020 forward from Riverdale. Barrett is a strong tough player inside. She had 22 points and 12 rebounds in her two games. The weekend was a bit tough for Riverdale but you could certainly see how Barrett averaged 13 points and 9 rebounds per game during the season.
- Shae Hanrahan is a 5’11 2021 forward from Riverdale. Hanrahan is a long athletic player that looks like she could be a much improved player in her senior season. She averaged 6.4 points and 7 rebounds per game during the season. She was a little bit down from from those numbers at state, but the length and smoothness in her movements and game gets you excited for what she can be.
This was an exciting 2A tourney. It was fun to watch and see if anyone could handle Chicago Marshall and coach Gaters pressure and up tempo style. They had a tough road having to go through both Carterville and Pleasant Plains and in the end, Plains had enough to get it done. Congratulations to the team and coach TJ Fraase.