28.5 League "The Bubble" NW Stars versus Cal Sparks Gold

Final: NW Stars 43, Cal Sparks Gold 42 NW Stars played a tough match-up with the Cal Sparks Gold, a seasoned Nike EYBL team on the first day of Session IV of the 28.5 League “The Bubble”. The score was certainly a preview of how close and scrappy the game was, as it quite literally came down to the final possession. This Cal Sparks team was incredibly athletic and had a crop of elite talent, including Rolling Hills Prep 6’6” center Clarice Akunwago, who is headed to USC after her senior year. The roster also headlines Isuneh “Ice” Birthday of Cathedral Catholic, versatile 6’4” forward who is headed to UConn and one of the top players nationally in the class of 2022. Taylor Bigby, 6’0” point guard is their other cornerstone, as two days ago she decided to sign with the University of Oregon. The NW Stars’ efforts began with a Javernik poke which Shuler recovered and gave out to Stone alongside the perimeter. Javernik followed this with a nice spin move in the paint for a score. Mogel would hit a triple from the corner as the NW Stars would go on a 8-0 run to start the contest. Davidson would find crafty ways to score inside the paint on back to back possessions. [player_tooltip player_id="158542" first="Kennedie" last="Shuler"] would fire a bullet pass into [player_tooltip player_id="158545" first="Rhyan" last="Mogel"] to make it NW Stars 14-13. The Stars would have a slight lapse but get back into the swing of things with a Mogel steal/feed into [player_tooltip player_id="158489" first="Truitt" last="Reilly"] as the NW Stars trailed 20-23 going into halftime. [player_tooltip player_id="207819" first="Carly" last="Stone"] would lead the charge in the second half with a triple, tying the game at 23 apiece. Shuler would find Stone again for a triple, as NW Stars would take the lead 26-23. Hageman would use a nice feint move for a score and Jazzy Davidson would use a nice baseline move for a score and beat her defender to the paint. Davidson would follow this with a mid-range jumper and a Koenig floater would extend the lead to 34-27. The NW Stars would have another drought as the Sparks would fight their way back into the game but a [player_tooltip player_id="204583" first="Carly" last="Robb"] triple would give them the lead 37-35. [player_tooltip player_id="158542" first="Kennedie" last="Shuler"] would have a nice scoop shot to avoid a defender as NW Stars would lead 39-37 with around three minutes to go. It would be a back and forth affair as [player_tooltip player_id="207819" first="Carly" last="Stone"] triple would give them a 42-35 lead and the last time they would score would be off a free throw. However, with the size and skill of Cal Sparks, they would continue to score on possessions while stopping the NW Stars’ efforts short. Ultimately, the Sparks would have the last possession of the game and go into Akunwago for a score. [player_tooltip player_id="158489" first="Truitt" last="Reilly"] proved to be a defensive wall despite giving up half a foot to her opposition, as she played amazing defense without committing a foul and came up with the ball as the NW Stars escaped with a 43-42 victory over a prolific team in that of the Cal Sparks Gold. Stats: [player_tooltip player_id="204586" first="Kasidy" last="Javernik"]: 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist [player_tooltip player_id="158489" first="Truitt" last="Reilly"]: 4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, 1 steal Jazzy Davidson: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 2 steals [player_tooltip player_id="158551" first="Annie" last="Koenig"]: 2 points, 1 assist [player_tooltip player_id="158517" first="Halle" last="Hageman"]: 2 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists [player_tooltip player_id="158545" first="Rhyan" last="Mogel"]: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals [player_tooltip player_id="204583" first="Carly" last="Robb"]: 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist [player_tooltip player_id="158542" first="Kennedie" last="Shuler"]: 5 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal [player_tooltip player_id="207820" first="Mia" last="Skoro"]: 1 rebound, 1 assist [player_tooltip player_id="207819" first="Carly" last="Stone"]: 12 points, 3 rebounds Breakdown: [player_tooltip player_id="207819" first="Carly" last="Stone"] the Sure Shot Stone is a confident shooter that plays with a lot of swagger and demeanor, as she showed this on full display, sinking four three-pointers in a stalemate game against huge competition. When her shot wasn’t open, she would flick it into the corner and find teammates in open positions. Stone is a more than capable offensive player who plays simple but routinely makes the right plays at the right time. She was amongst offensive MVPs for the NW Stars as she provided consistency in a game where the main keys aren’t always available. Her 12 point, 3 assist effort was a huge factor in a one point victory. [player_tooltip player_id="158489" first="Truitt" last="Reilly"] the Wall We have all come to know [player_tooltip player_id="158489" first="Truitt" last="Reilly"] as the throwback forward with a lot of resilience and discipline in the paint on both ends of the floor. She was tested to her maximum capabilities going up against a 6’6” center and came up victorious when it mattered the most. In addition to getting the biggest stop of the game in a one-on-one situation where she gave up height, she didn’t give up on the key characteristic of her game: patience and grit. She played big and came up with a huge rebound as the clock expired. But she also was a defensive wall throughout the game as her 4 point, 6 rebound, 3 block, 1 steal effort certainly did not go unnoticed by everyone in attendance. Shuler and Mogel: Yin and Yang [player_tooltip player_id="158542" first="Kennedie" last="Shuler"] and [player_tooltip player_id="158545" first="Rhyan" last="Mogel"] are the opposite sides of the same coin, as they bring a lot of skill and variety along with a high motor when they are out of the floor. Shuler is the energetic high motor guard who plays at a blistering pace whereas Mogel is the two way player that plays with a lot of discipline and structure. Interestingly enough, they acquired similar statlines by the end of the game as Shuler had a 5 point, 4 rebound, 4 assist performance whereas Mogel had a 5 point, 6 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steal effort for the NW Stars. Shuler was finding teammates in stride through baseline drives and kicks and Mogel provided tough defense on Ice Brady, as she did not let up despite giving up half a foot to the UConn commit.