Preseason Teams to Watch: The Powerhouses

<strong>Preseason Teams to Watch: The Powerhouses</strong> When you talk GHSA Girls Basketball, these teams and these players are often where conversations start and stop. While there are many great teams, these four teams standout above the rest with their amount of talent with 22 ranked players between them. These are teams that could be in the discussion to crack the national rankings. <strong>McEachern </strong><em>Notable Players 2021: #4 [player_tooltip player_id="118096" first="Jillian" last="Hollingshead"], #13 [player_tooltip player_id="118101" first="Denim" last="DeShields"], #43 [player_tooltip player_id="192136" first="Sianny" last="Sanchez-Oliver"], #81 [player_tooltip player_id="208455" first="Kiarah" last="Massiah"] 2022: #44 [player_tooltip player_id="186275" first="Kristen" last="Roche"], #58 [player_tooltip player_id="210362" first="Kaela" last="Ward"], #60 [player_tooltip player_id="195885" first="Caelan" last="Ellis"]</em> With the addition of [player_tooltip player_id="118096" first="Jillian" last="Hollingshead"], [player_tooltip player_id="186275" first="Kristen" last="Roche"] and [player_tooltip player_id="210362" first="Kaela" last="Ward"], the Indians are back among the favorites in Class 7A. Hollingshead at 6-foot-4 is a four-star blue-chip prospect with the ability to do damage inside and out. Her shot blocking and rebounding inside solidifies McEachern’s front court. Indiana State-commit [player_tooltip player_id="118101" first="Denim" last="DeShields"] and Delaware State-commit [player_tooltip player_id="192136" first="Sianny" last="Sanchez-Oliver"] anchor the backcourt along with the reigning three-point champion in 7A, [player_tooltip player_id="195885" first="Caelan" last="Ellis"]. The Indians are a complete team that could emerge as the state’s best if everything comes together. <strong>Collins Hill </strong><em>Notable Players 2021: #8 [player_tooltip player_id="118097" first="Sacha" last="Washington"], #16 [player_tooltip player_id="191969" first="Eden" last="Sample"], #32 [player_tooltip player_id="118107" first="LaCambria" last="Shakespeare"], #58 [player_tooltip player_id="188314" first="Aniecia" last="Malone"], #92 [player_tooltip player_id="191970" first="Jailah" last="Clark-Jones"]</em> A senior-laden group leads Collins Hill. The Eagles will try to get over the hump after losing back-to-back title games to Westlake, who now has dropped to 6A. Purdue-commit [player_tooltip player_id="118097" first="Sacha" last="Washington"] is a double-double machine inside and one of the state’s most physical players. Old Dominion-commit [player_tooltip player_id="191969" first="Eden" last="Sample"] is a lights out shooter on the perimeter while 6-foot-4 Alabama A&amp;M-commit [player_tooltip player_id="118107" first="LaCambria" last="Shakespeare"] is a raw talent with a high major body and solid ceiling. The Eagles have playmakers on the perimeter in [player_tooltip player_id="188314" first="Aniecia" last="Malone"] (North Greenville) and 5-foot-10 [player_tooltip player_id="191970" first="Jailah" last="Clark-Jones"] (UNCG). With the ability to put five college players on the floor at one time – four being D-I – Collins Hill has the ability to overpower most opponents. <strong>Westlake </strong><em>Notable Players 2021: #1 [player_tooltip player_id="118095" first="Raven" last="Johnson"], #6 [player_tooltip player_id="118121" first="Brianna" last="Turnage"], #91 [player_tooltip player_id="191042" first="Misia" last="McKinney"] 2022: #7 [player_tooltip player_id="118146" first="Ta’Niya" last="Latson"]</em> With 78-straight wins against Georgia opponents dating back to South Carolina-commit [player_tooltip player_id="118095" first="Raven" last="Johnson"]’s first game as a freshman, Westlake is still THE team to beat when it comes to GHSA basketball. The Lions lost some key players to graduation and transfer, but as long as Johnson is still in the Black and Blue, the Lions are nearly untouchable. The addition of [player_tooltip player_id="118146" first="Ta’Niya" last="Latson"] last year immediately paid dividends. She led the team in scoring and is a dynamite athlete that thrives in transition. Virginia Tech-commit Snoop Turnage can play 1-5 as a defensive ace that can stop anybody. Her motor, length and athleticism give her elite upside. Look for [player_tooltip player_id="191042" first="Misia" last="McKinney"] to carve out some key minutes inside after long awaiting her turn. She’s a powerful player that can score with either hand. <strong>Hebron Christian </strong><em>Notable Players 2021: #9 [player_tooltip player_id="118106" first="Malia" last="Fisher"], #25 [player_tooltip player_id="118119" first="Nicole" last="Azar"], #34 [player_tooltip player_id="153101" first="Carly" last="Fahey"], #38 [player_tooltip player_id="153106" first="Carly" last="Heidger"], #79 [player_tooltip player_id="153102" first="Ella" last="Heard"] 2022: #21 [player_tooltip player_id="118148" first="Jessie" last="Parish"]</em> With five players ranked in the Top 100 in the Class of 2021, Hebron Christian is locked and loaded, ready to avenge last year’s 30-1 season which ended in the Final Four. The Golden Lions have terrific versatile size. [player_tooltip player_id="118106" first="Malia" last="Fisher"] (Rice), [player_tooltip player_id="118119" first="Nicole" last="Azar"] (Samford), [player_tooltip player_id="153106" first="Carly" last="Heidger"] (Samford) and [player_tooltip player_id="118148" first="Jessie" last="Parish"] have great length. Fisher is a tough inside-out threat that can create mismatches while Azar was the state’s top three-point shooter a year ago, swishing over 100 threes.  Heidger is a 6-foot-3 wing that can also block shots up close while Parish provides strength around the rim. Guards [player_tooltip player_id="153101" first="Carly" last="Fahey"] (UNC Asheville) and [player_tooltip player_id="153102" first="Ella" last="Heard"] are top notch distributors. On paper, Hebron Christian is the team to beat in Class A-Private with their cohesion and chemistry.