Premier Hoops Fall Nationals Review

Premier Hoops in St. Louis held their Fall Nationals at Center St. Louis this weekend. The following are some of the girls that caught my eye. There were 5 teams in the division and that was 2 from the Central Illinois Predators and 2 from the Southern Illinois Hawks. <strong>SI Hawks </strong> [player_tooltip player_id="123584" first="Clare" last="Breden"] is a 5’5 2021 Combo Guard from Jerseyville. Clare is a McKendree commit that has been playing the late season events with the Hawks. She continues to show her well rounded game but as she prepares for college she is showing areas that she has transformed her game over the past few years. She has previously been a scorer at heart, but she has transformed into more of a lead guard in preparation for her role at the next level. Clare is also showcasing her athletic ability a little more by picking her spots. She is explosive in her first step and can get up off the floor or her layups and rebounds. That will play very nicely at the next level. [player_tooltip player_id="201766" first="T’yana" last="Lovelace"] is a 5’11 2021 Forward from O’Fallon. T’yana is a strong and mobile post player that shows the agility to play the stretch 4 in college. She would be ideally paired with a 5 that likes to play on the perimeter and would then allow her to roam the paint where she can score and crash the boards. T’yana is strong and will run the floor on the break to get easy baskets. As she expands her range and works to expand her post game she could very well be a gem for a college program. [player_tooltip player_id="160144" first="Claire" last="Christeson"] is a 6’0 2022 Forward from CIvic Memorial. Claire is a defensive weapon that can be deployed in many different ways. She is very long and agile which makes her a perfect fit at the point of any press or half court trap. Claire can get her hands on many passes and also can chase down opposing players to apply ball pressure. She has a developing offensive game that starts with her effort and speed to run the floor every time down the court. Claire has some nice post moves and is working on her face up game. She is a player to track these next two years. <strong>Central Illinois Predators Grey</strong> Kylee Parker is a 5’7 2021 Guard from Springfield Lanphier. Kylee is a good lead guard that can do many things for her team to help them win. I really like her ability to apply full court pressure on the ball. She likes to pick up the opposing point guard immediately and make them work. Kylee handles the ball well herself and succeeds in getting her team into their offense and calling out the plays. She is a coach on the floor. Kylee brings toughness to her team and will fight for rebounds and loose balls. Denver Anderson is a 5’11 2024 Wing from Mt. Zion. Denver is a young player that we have covered quite a bit this summer as she has prepared for her freshman season. She is a nice inside and outside combo player that can take advantage of her defenders weak points. Denver has a nice game in the post but her future lies in her ability to hit the deep 3-pointer and take the ball to the rim off the bounce. She has good athletic ability and can finish with either hand in the lane. Denver rebounds very well as a wing player and can start the break on her own if the opportunity presents itself. [player_tooltip player_id="203238" first="Abby" last="Scharf"] is a 5’9 2022 Wing from Mt. Zion. Abby is a lights out shooter when she gets her feet set. She is a zone buster that can shoot you right out of your plan if you do not hedge to her. Abby is a good defensive player that will get in good positions and battle on the boards. She is not overly athletic which simply means that Abby gets the results from hard work and smart play to go with her shooting ability. With a Mt. Zion team that is moving past a high quality 2020 graduating class Abby will be expected to step up and use her varsity experience to help transition to the next phase of Lady Braves basketball. <strong>Central Illinois Predators White</strong> Natalie Engelman is a 5’5 2023 Guard  from Nokomis. Natalie turned a corner at the end of her freshman season and is moving forward towards a good sophomore campaign. She got hot at the right time and it led her to a finals trip at the state 1A 3-point shoot out. She finished 4th, but in the qualifying she led all 1A and 2A shooters making 12/15. You can see she is a different player now. She plays with confidence, especially taking her shot when open. Natalie is also a smart passer and very hard worker on defense. Meghanne Freehill is a 5’5 2023 Guard from North Fulton. Meghanne is a nice point guard that can influence a game with her effort and drive. She can hit the outside shot on offense but is a relentless penetrator that looks for the driving lanes. On defense Meghanne never stops harassing the ball handlers and trying to get her hands on the ball. She can turn defense into offense quickly and is a willing passer of the ball. <strong>SI Hawks White</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="148174" first="Briley" last="Rhodes"] is a 5’4 2023 Guard from Okawville. Briley made a splash her freshman season as a player with an ability to hit the 3-point shot. Over the summer and fall AAU season she has shown a diverse game that bodes well for her future. She can take the ball to the rim and finish over, under and around bigger players. Briley is a good defender that rebounds and boxes out well for a smaller player. She is tough and not afraid of contact. Her game is showing she has learned good fundamentals in a good school program. Alayna Kraus is a 5’5 2024 Guard from Okawville. Alayna is a fun player to watch. She clearly knows the game and makes intelligent plays at the right time. Alayna does a good job of playing with speed yet is under control. She has nice shot from behind the arc, but is best going to the rim where she can can hit runners, finish at the rim or pass to an open teammate. Defensively she has a high motor and likes to pressure the ball and get steals. She is another in a long line of fundamentally sound players in Okawville and is aided by having a dad that played college ball. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;