A Quick Look at Some Lady Defenders

[caption id="attachment_177157" align="alignnone" width="278"] Maize South and Lady Defender 2023, Holly Shafer, awaits to shoot off kick-out to the perimeter. Photo by Robert Kelly.[/caption] The Lady Defenders is a team consisting of talented young players from the Wichita Area.  It is a group I enjoyed seeing for the first time at the recent MAYB Get Back on the Court event and expect to see another time or two in the upcoming weeks.  These are some of the players who stood out against a very good Twin Lakes Stars team made up of a variety of top small school players around the state including a pair of NCAA D II signees. [caption id="attachment_177126" align="alignleft" width="175"] 2023 Maize South and Lady Defender Avery Lowe listens to her coach talk during a break of the team's MAYB Get Back on the Court game. Photo by Robert Kelly.[/caption] <strong>Avery Lowe, 6’1", Maize South, 2023, PF</strong> -- Lowe will be a player to watch develop over the summer and into next year.  While she struggled with the size and strength of Norton’s [player_tooltip player_id="123520" first="Tessa" last="Hauser"], she did show athleticism and physicality.  Lowe was able to use her length to her advantage to score at times and showed a nice duck-in move on the block, off the catch to get a score.  Serious upside here. [caption id="attachment_177124" align="alignright" width="177"] Bishop Carroll and Lady Defender 2023 Anna Wineland listens to her coach talk to her team during a break at a MAYB Get Back on the Court game. Photo by Robert Kelly.[/caption] <strong>Anna Wineland, 5’7", Bishop Carroll, 2023, CG</strong> -- Wineland’s hands will be the thing to watch.  Granted recent Newman University commit [player_tooltip player_id="123496" first="Lauryn" last="Dubbert"] was on her fourth game of the day compared to Wineland’s first, the fact she was able to pressure Dubbert one-on-one in the half court and generate a couple turnovers including an outright steal is notable.  Wineland showed speed with the ball to get the lay-in off the pick and consistently was able to anticipate and disrupt passes away from the ball.  In transition she showed good vision and the ability to change directions quickly. <strong>Holly Schafer, 5’4", Maize South, 2022, CG</strong> -- Shafer spent a considerable amount of time battling Sterling PG [player_tooltip player_id="124974" first="Kali" last="Briar"] on the defensive end.  The versatility of Briar’s game as a ball handler and three-point shooter saw her get the worst of it 70% of the time.  But, like Lowe, she is only going to get better.  Shafer has a good head and shoulder fake perimeter move that enabled her to create shots for herself and her teammates. [caption id="attachment_177157" align="alignright" width="173"] Maize South and Lady Defender 2023, Holly Shafer, awaits to shoot off kick-out to the perimeter. Photo by Robert Kelly.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_177142" align="alignleft" width="175"] Bishop Carroll and Lady Defender 2023 Lindsay Maul listens in during a break in her team's game at the MAYB Get Back on the Court event. Photo by Robert Kelly.[/caption] <strong>Lindsay Maul, 5’6", Bishop Carroll, 2023, CG</strong> -- Maul caught my eye as a developing, solid jump shooter.  Hustles and is fast with the ball. <em>Featured image: Maize South and Lady Defender 2023 Avery Lowe elevates to score over a pair of Twin Lakes Stars players in their MAYB Get Back on the Court contest. Photo by Robert Kelly.</em> &nbsp;