Cedar Park Still Strong at High School Showcase

Cedar Park knocked on the door last season as a tough overtime loss to College Station in the Regional Finals kept them from attending the state tournament yet they also lost sharpshooter Hanna Wheeler (Incarnate Word) and [player_tooltip player_id="100076" first="Nicole" last="Leff"] (Texas State) both Top 100 players and when I arrived to see them, I saw [player_tooltip player_id="96143" first="Molly" last="Ly"], one of the top 2023 players, in a boot, I was wondering just how this team would compete, especially after Ly moved up from JV and I was expecting big things to come but here is what I got 2021 Sarai Estupinan Estupinan was dropping the long ball and attacking the rim with ease and her pinpoint passes in traffic definitely added a lot because they have some firepower on this squad. She’s heady at the one, makes good decisions yet can handle the ball under pressure [player_tooltip player_id="136335" first="Alisa" last="Knight"] Knight is probably one of the most underrated seniors in Texas, she’s long and athletic, plays the passing lane, and can apply heat on defense in the halfcourt or baseline to baseline, did I mention the long and athletic was the base? Nevertheless, she has a jumper and can attack the rim 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="96925" first="Shelby" last="Hayes"] Hayes has gotten stronger and more fluid in her movements around the basket on offense and watching her put on one of the best offensive performances inside the paint I’ve seen all year, keep in mind I have seen some of the top "bigs" go at  it, to say she has turned a corner is an understatement Elaine King King is very serviceable because she will rebound and score, plus she can defend on the inside but her greater value is getting hers "in the flow" as well as doing so many things that may not appear on a score or stat sheet but she is long and athletic  with good timing Angie Sacco Sacco impressed me a couple of years ago because she’s the type of player that will run through a wall and by that, I mean dive on the floor for loose balls, dive in the stand for everything, and just battle for whatever is up in the air yet she’s gotten stronger and toned up even more which means even more defensive pressure 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="134028" first="Gisella" last="Maul"] Maul impressed me so much before her first middle school game that I dropped that #D1Lock on her and watching what she has become, that picture speaks volumes because yeah she can drop 30 footers with ease, yeah she can score from the wing as well as post up smaller guards but her maturity and vocal leadership on the court has skyrocketed [player_tooltip player_id="204176" first="Aliyah" last="Carter"] Carter showed out over the summer on both ends that she was added to the Top 100 but her fire and intensity will add yet another dimension to this talented squad. She can score, off the dribble, the stop and pop in transition, and that "catch and shoot" is looking nice but her ballhandling, seeing the floor and defensive play, she loves guarding the opposing top guard, will add more fuel to the fire