EOT Shootout Day 3: Cal Stars 17U Red vs. Oregon Elite 17U Navy

On Day Three of the EOT NW Shootout in Pocatello, Idaho, two teams with different pasts but familiar roots clashed in that of Oregon Elite 17U Navy and Cal Stars 17U Red. The two clubs have familiar adversaries, as this season, Cal Stars has four of the premier players in the Beaver State in [player_tooltip player_id="158473" first="Aaronette" last="Vonleh"], [player_tooltip player_id="158475" first="Audrey" last="Roden"], [player_tooltip player_id="158474" first="Addison" last="Wedin"], and [player_tooltip player_id="158543" first="Donovyn" last="Hunter"]. Oregon Elite is composed of all Oregon girls, outside of Tahoma’s Hope Hassmann. The game was something like looking at a cracked mirror, in recognizing something familiar but also seeing distorted differences. A hint of familiarity - but also Oregon’s top team versus California’s top team, with high stakes in the Idaho Falls of Pocatello. The game started on an odd note, as each team fumbled around the ball on their first possessions with uneven footing almost waiting for something to happen. The Stars’ first possession ended up going out of bounds whereas Oregon Elite had a traveling violation. Even more odd, both teams scored their first points each on one free throw, as Lathrop and Vonleh were both fouled at the rim. Then, Oregon Elite began an early spurt as [player_tooltip player_id="158476" first="Sydney" last="Burns"] hit [player_tooltip player_id="158479" first="Schuyler" last="Berry"] in the middle and Burns took it herself on the following possession. Berry and Bishop provided some great defense in the middle, clogging up the lane, stifling Vonleh and others. [player_tooltip player_id="158516" first="Danika" last="Starr"] provided some big moments, rebounding for an and-one and getting a huge stop. The Stars went on to a 7-3 early lead, but someone that they could not contain was [player_tooltip player_id="163093" first="Talana" last="Lepolo"]. The NorCal native had a tip-in, lay-up, and-one, and three within minutes to hoist the Stars up. A back and forth battle became even at 13. McClave and-one and Lathrop mid-range amongst Oregon Elite’s efforts. At halftime, the Stars began to pull away thanks to back to back scores from Wedin, one off a pass from [player_tooltip player_id="189641" first="Jordan" last="Allred"] and the other from [player_tooltip player_id="158543" first="Donovyn" last="Hunter"]. At half it was a close 22-17 in favor of the Stars. Each team made their adjustments, as it was a heated battle as both teams continued to lock horns in the second half. [player_tooltip player_id="103658" first="Calli" last="Stokes"] and [player_tooltip player_id="163093" first="Talana" last="Lepolo"] didn’t need any sets to score, as they used their mid-range games to get much needed buckets. Syd Burns was an operator for Oregon Elite, setting others up at the basket, with her high school teammate Emi Bishop being one of her favorite targets. [player_tooltip player_id="158479" first="Schuyler" last="Berry"] was incredibly effective defensively, as she drew two charges and Lathrop was getting rebounds and stifling the Stars’ in the paint and also had numerous blocks. Vonleh chipped in some points, showing grit despite tough defense and Lathrop on the other end had some nice baby jumpers and offensive rebounds. The biggest highlight of the game was when [player_tooltip player_id="158476" first="Sydney" last="Burns"] drove baseline against Vonleh and side stepped her on to way to a lay-up, which made the crowd go into a frenzy. Not to be outdone, [player_tooltip player_id="163093" first="Talana" last="Lepolo"] on the very next possession did the exact same thing, but was fouled. Roden lay-up, Lepolo isolation baskets kept the Stars’ ignition going. Hope Hassmann had a highlight behind the back move that had the gym going crazy as well as an and-one. The game ended on a [player_tooltip player_id="158486" first="Cami" last="Fulcher"] and-one. A valiant effort for Oregon Elite, but the totality of the Cal Stars was too much in the end, led by the heroic efforts of [player_tooltip player_id="163093" first="Talana" last="Lepolo"] as the Stars took this game 47 - 38 in dramatic fashion. Stats: Cal Stars [player_tooltip player_id="158473" first="Aaronette" last="Vonleh"]: 8 points, 2 rebounds [player_tooltip player_id="163093" first="Talana" last="Lepolo"]: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals Makena Mastora: 1 rebound [player_tooltip player_id="158475" first="Audrey" last="Roden"]: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist [player_tooltip player_id="103658" first="Calli" last="Stokes"]: 6 points, 5 rebounds [player_tooltip player_id="103555" first="Marley" last="Langi"]: 4 points 2 rebounds, 1 block, 2 steals [player_tooltip player_id="189641" first="Jordan" last="Allred"]: 2 pints, 1 assist, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="158474" first="Addison" last="Wedin"]: 4 points [player_tooltip player_id="158543" first="Donovyn" last="Hunter"]: 2 rebounds, 2 assists Oregon Elite [player_tooltip player_id="158479" first="Schuyler" last="Berry"]: 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="158477" first="Emilia" last="Bishop"]: 6 points, 3 rebounds [player_tooltip player_id="158476" first="Sydney" last="Burns"]: 5 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists [player_tooltip player_id="158485" first="Leah" last="Doutt"]: 2 points [player_tooltip player_id="158486" first="Cami" last="Fulcher"]: 5 points, 2 rebounds Hope Hassmann: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals [player_tooltip player_id="158484" first="Maya" last="Hoff"]: 2 rebound, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="158478" first="Natalie" last="Lathrop"]: 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks [player_tooltip player_id="158506" first="Ana" last="McClave"]: 2 points, 2 rebounds [player_tooltip player_id="158516" first="Danika" last="Starr"]: 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="163093" first="Talana" last="Lepolo"] and [player_tooltip player_id="158478" first="Natalie" last="Lathrop"]: MVPs [player_tooltip player_id="163093" first="Talana" last="Lepolo"] didn’t need any set plays, she used her elusiveness and million dollar moves off the dribble in a multitude of ways and showed her weapons on offense. She can stop on a dime and hit the jumper, take you to the basket, and also hit the three-point in stride. In a game where the tempo was unusual and the stakes were high, she showed a lot of resilience. [player_tooltip player_id="158478" first="Natalie" last="Lathrop"] for Oregon Elite had her moments in the first half with some stops and jumpers, but it was in the second half where she came alive. She was productive on the glass, had numerous blocks, and had some impressive short jumpers. She was definitely a neutralizer down low. Syd Burns & Emi Bishop The talented tandem have a lot of chemistry out there because they have had extra practice being teammates at Wilsonville HS. Sydney was electric out there, either finding ways to score or finding Bishop at the basket and with extraordinary timing. Burns took on Vonleh twice, muscling her way to the basket and finishing with strength. [player_tooltip player_id="158476" first="Sydney" last="Burns"] provided some great on-ball defense for Oregon Elite, whereas Bishop did much of the same except for in the post. These two were a big reason for Oregon Elite’s success as they built upon their history of success. Vonleh and Stokes Vonleh had some amazing finishes inside that resulted in and-ones, as she bulldozed her way through a tough nucleus of Oregon Elite defenders. She was resilient and had a great 8 point effort, in a tough game where points were not easy to obtain. [player_tooltip player_id="103658" first="Calli" last="Stokes"] was another player who did not need plays as she showcased her superb mid-range isolation game and rebounding skills. Great players that bring such qualities night in, night out. Such players were keys in the Stars’ victory as they showed up and provided firepower in a somewhat low scoring game.