Southern Illinois Top Slashers/Drivers

In this article we look at some of the top slashers/drivers in the Central and Southern part of Illinois.You have to be able to get to the rim and finish to make this list. So, here is the list I came up with for you, it is full of players that can score in the lane  These are kids that can go both right and left, can hit the runner/floater and are creative at the rim.. &nbsp; <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="123564" first="Shae" last="Littleford"] is a 5’6 2021 Guard from Charleston. Shae is very strong and uses that tool very well to get into the lane routinely. She can finish through contact and is comfortable in the lane against bigger players. Shae has taken her speed game when she was younger and combined it with additional strength to give her a nice combination. Sometimes even if you know what she wants to do it still cannot be stopped.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="123584" first="Clare" last="Breden"] is a 5’5 2021 Guard from Jerseyville. Clare has taken her game to another level in the last two years and is because of her ability to score off the bounce. She has always been a great shooter but the work she put in to develop scoring options off the dribble has taken her to another level. Clare can consistently hit the floater/runner prior to getting too deep in the lane. She will also score at the rim once the defenders start to try to jump the floater.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="124880" first="Adrenna" last="Snipes"] is a 5’5 2022 Guard from Alton Marquette. Adrenna uses her great handles and athletic ability to get in the lane with ease. She is able to make moves on the run in the full court but also explode from a standing start in the half court. Once she is in the lane Adrenna is not afraid of contact and will go to the rim hard.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148170" first="Haley" last="Ottenschnieder"] is a 5’6 2023 Guard from Breese Central. Haley does an exceptional job of catching the ball in the half court and immediately getting down hill. She is very comfortable going to her left and can finish with either hand in the lane against taller players. Haley excels at being able to get to the foul line when a clear opportunity to finish is not presented.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="123596" first="Addison" last="Newbon"] is a 5’9 2021 Forward from St. Teresa. Addison is a powerful player that can put her head down and make it to the basket easily in most cases. She can go left or right and is most efficient catching the ball at the elbow and making a quick move. Addison can also work from the wing or catching the ball inside the lane. She is a force at the rim.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="148153" first="Shannon" last="Dowell"] is a 5’9 2023 Guard from O’Fallon. Shannon has great physical tools that allow her to be very effective going to the hole. She has long arms and legs that go well with her jumping ability. Shannon is best right now in the open floor but is working on her handles to improve her ability in tight half court situations. Once she gets in the lane her ability to elevate and extend with her long arms makes her hard to stop.</li> <li>Emily Brenneisen is a 5’11 2021 Wing from SHG. Emily is excellent at getting into the lane and finding ways to finish. She likes to sweep and go to her right when possible which will catch many defenders off guard since it is not her strong hand. Emily is completely comfortable finishing with her right hand either on a runner/floater or at the rim. She is really tough when the defender cuts that drive off in that she can then spin back to her strong hand where she is even tougher finishing through contact.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="124852" first="Mallory" last="Ramage"] is a 5’9 2022 Guard from Matoon. Mallory has great length which she uses not only on defense but as a weapon on offense allowing her to finish over and through other players. She has good ball skills and is quick enough to get an advantage of her first step. Mallory has continued to develop her outside shot which forces the defense to honor it and be more likely to give up the drive. She is definitely a scorer with the mentality to find a way to the rim.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="160152" first="Alyssa" last="Cole"] is a 5’9 2022 Wing from Nashville. Alyssa is a "power wing", which means she is very strong and tough and uses that to her advantage. She is comfortable absorbing contact on her way into the lane and through the finish. She will use either hand to drive and finish. Alyssa has a comfort level in the post area so she is calm and patient in operating against taller players around the rim.</li> <li>Kaylen Reed is a 5’6 2023 Guard from Rochester. Kaylen is a strong player that uses her ball handling to consistently get into the lane. She is not afraid to uses multiple moves to change direction and get by her opponent. Once Kaylen gets into the lane her strength takes over and allows her to finish while taking on contact. She has a variety of finishing moves that allow her to also create enough to get shots over taller players.</li> <li>Natalie Iberg is a 5’9 2021 Guard. Natalie uses her exceptional athletic talents to be a force in the open court game. She has very god speed and jumping ability that allows her to get into the lane consistently and score over the top of taller players. Natalie can really become a force in the half court game if she can improve her ball handling enough to create driving angles in tight space.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="160160" first="Megan" last="Harrell"] is a 5’9 2021 Guard  from Illini West. Megan does a very good job of getting to the rim and finding ways to finish once she gets there. Her improved mid range jumper creates more scoring chances at the rim as the defense has to look for it and respect it. Megan suffered a minor knee late in the season but came back to play and scored 16 points in the regional championship game.</li> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="123600" first="Amellia" last="Bromenschenkel"] is a 5’11 2021 Wing from Mendota. Amellia is long, tall and fast. She can handle it and good luck keeping her out of the lane. All year long teams dedicated junk defenses and their best defenders only to see use a variety of moves and explosiveness to get downhill consistently. Amellia can finish in traffic withe either hand routinely.</li> </ul> The talent in this group is immense, I cannot wait to see them and see what they have added to their game in the off season.