Class 3A steals leaders to watch out for in 2020-21

In the game of basketball today where offense is the main attraction for most people, the defense can sometimes go unnoticed both as a team and individually. But defense can win games as effectively as offense can and every team needs that player who can turn defense into offense for herself and her teammates. Here are some Colorado players in Class 3A that have led in steals by playing hard and smart at the defensive end. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="117724" first="Mikylah" last="Espinosa"] (The Academy)</strong> Espinosa (2022) is an all-around player who can be a stat stuffer with her effort. She shows that she can put pressure on teams with her ability to force turnovers and averaged 7.2 steals per game as a sophomore last season, and also recorded a season-high with 11 steals in two different games. Espinosa was the second in the state in steals and had a total of 166 on the season. She was also the team's second leading scorer and averaged 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. Espinosa is also an efficient offensive player, shooting 164 for 310 (53 percent) in 2019-20. <strong>Erica Derby (Stargate School)</strong> Derby (2021) shows that she has some athleticism to her game and anticipates well at the defensive end of the floor. She is a willing shooter from behind the arc, where she went 14 for 61 (23 percent) last season. Derby averaged 11.6 points, seven rebounds and 5.5 steals per game. She also moves her feet well when she is in position to help, making it tough for teams to get inside the paint. Derby was one steal away from 100 last winter and hit her season high in steals four times this past year with eight total. <strong>Katie Trail (Middle Park)</strong> Trail (2021) has a high motor and brings a lot of energy to her team. Her relentless effort allows her to lead her team in most statistical categories, and she averaged 15 points per game on 121-for-335 (36 percent) shooting from the floor. Trail is a willing shooter from behind the arc, shooting 21 percent, and also averaged six rebounds, three assists and 4.9 steals per game. She finished the season with 102 steals, and had a season high in steals with 11. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145393" first="Aryanna" last="Perez"] (The Academy)</strong> Perez (2022) plays on a team that went 23-1 and only lost in the playoffs. She is the leading scorer on her team and consistently knocks down shots with range. Perez also has good defensive awareness, getting her hands on a lot of steals. She averaged 18.5 points per game on 182-for-425 (43 percent) shooting from the floor in 2019-20 and as a 5-foot-6 guard, she is a good rebounder for her size. Overall, Perez finish last season with a non-scoring stat line of 3.4 rebounds, 2.6 assist, and 4.0 steals per game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95131" first="Kylie" last="Kravig"] (University)</strong> Having received an offer from Colorado Mesa University earlier this month, Kravig (2021) is a threat in the open floor with her ability to make the right reads and she shows the ability to be a great leader on the floor, as well as unselfish player. Quick and with good footwork on the defensive end, Kravig routinely intercepts passes. She averaged 13.8 points per game on 94-for-220 (43 percent) shooting from the floor last winter. With her ability to anticipates, and great court awareness she was able to impact the game on defense as well, picking off 4.4 steals per game. Kravig had a season high in steals with 9 in 2019-20 and finished last season with a total of 96, giving her 249 in her career. https://x.com/KravigKylie/status/1248677621308608512