Team Curry-Carolina Flames 17U Standouts: Forwards

In a hard fought battle, the Carolina Flames prevailed over Team Curry, 57-41 Friday at the Big Shots Carolina Live in Rock Hill, SC. Here are some standout forwards from this physical encounter between two of the states best programs. For the Carolina Flames, [player_tooltip player_id="116874" first="Teonni" last="Key"] and [player_tooltip player_id="116891" first="Imani" last="Lester"] dominated with their interior defense and showed complete skill sets offensively. Both of them are ranked in the top part of their respective classes nationally and were big difference makers in this game. Key, the UNC commit and Cary standout, established herself early in this game with a couple of tough buckets in the paint. Additionally, she was able to rebound well, push the ball in transition, and block countless shots. The Tar Heels are getting an excellent in-state pickup from right in their backyard. Similar to Key, Lester is also the prototypical post player in the modern women’s game. She’s a great ball handler and passer for her size, doesn’t hesitate to take and make jump shots, and her help side defense was excellent throughout the contest. Lester, who helped North Raleigh Christian win a state title in 2019 as a freshman, has a lot of offers and interest at the Division One Level, and her national stock continues to rise. Team Curry played a small lineup for the majority of the contest, but Farmville Central 2022 forward [player_tooltip player_id="116895" first="Amiya" last="Joyner"] had her moments. She recently picked up offers from NC State and Florida State to go along with her already long list of offers from Power Five conferences. Expect her to play a big role for the Jaguars as they look to repeat as state champions this season.