It took a Village to win TAPPS 6-A State Championship

I sit back and shake my head at the foolishness that comes across my timeline from wannabees yet I remember an official asking me years ago "what does it take to be an expert" and I responded "make people believe you know what you're talking about" and this isn't an isolated problem in Houston nor Texas but not knowing The Village was loaded with next-level talent in you're own back yard is truly sad. I covered the team before the regular season and fall leagues and my exact words were "they're going win a state championship" and they just did, a 75-48 victory over Prestonwood but let me take it a step further, almost every player on the team made my Tip Sheet before high school but either you know or you pretend. They've played shorthanded all season and losing Karlie Sampson a couple of months ago could've spelled the end but Anastacia Yefimenko stepped up and was serviceable and moving up Amina Sy, Sophie Mass and Margaret Davis gave them added depth to give the starting group a breather but here we go 2020 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emily-dogbatse/">Emily Dogbatse</a>-5'9- this young lady is a LEGITIMATE D1 prospect and every player that I've said that about that were  UNSIGNED showed it at JUCO or wherever but she can shoot the long ball, dropped 9 in a game a month ago and was blazing during the state tournament run but she's an athletic nightmare that can finish acrobatically and defend baseline to baseline 2021 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jada-malone/">Jada Malone</a>-6'4- when you have a player with this type of body that can do what she does is pretty darn huge. Power in the paint was what the junior showed early yet over her career she's expanded her outside shooting and extended her range to bta. She rebounds, makes the outlet passes on the money and also can handle the ball coast to coast under pressure <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/tymberlin-criswell/">Tymberlin Criswell</a>-5'9-her wingspan and jumping ability caught my eye early yet she showed she could attack, shoot from the outside and defend at an early age but this season, her job was to run the one and I always say "the game starts at the one" and she did a great job of not only handling the pressure but controlling the tempo but setting her teammates up played a big part Aiken Semones-5'6- watching her shot the three in the third grade was something and watching her catch and shoot it with accuracy is more than something but she's more than just a long ball threat and she knew she'd  have to add a variety of things to her game, like her speed, which she improved and attacking the basket, which she's doing to make her a multi-threat 2022 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/sydney-ward/">Sydney Ward</a>-6'0- long and athletic is the base, in middle school, I saw her flying like an eagle through the air yet under control and eager to contribute and the player she has become and will be is scary. She can finish with contact, the long first step that can just explode or a nice midrange that she creates under pressure or why not shoot the long ball, she can get it off at will. Oh yeah, she plays the passing lane 2023 <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/rylee-grays/">RyLee Grays</a>-6'1- she and Malone form one of the best 1-2 punches on the inside in Texas and her drive and passion just shows every time she gets on the court. She's a battler and a BEAST, finishes with players hanging on her, rebounds the same way, on both ends, yet that wasn't good enough, for her, she has expanded her game to score facing the basket as well as defend on the perimeter