46th Visitation Christmas Tourney: Day 1 Standouts

The first day of the 46th annual Visitation Christmas Tourney featured exactly what you would expect in a seeded 16 team tourney. Some blowouts, some close games and some surprise winners. But, mostly what it gave us was an opportunity to see some of the top St. Louis talent all in the same gym on the same day.   [player_tooltip player_id="177088" first="Eliza" last="Maupin"] is a 6'2 2022 Forward that has committed to Kansas St. Eliza is a very long and smooth player that will find space in the lane for easy baskets. She is very patient and does not force anything but will take advantage of her opportunities. In this game she had 21 points including 5/5 from the free throw line. Eliza shoots it at a high percentage and rebounds very well. [player_tooltip player_id="106906" first="Mallory" last="Ronshausen"] is a 5'7 2021 Guard from Cor Jesu and a commit to UMSL. Mallory was not having her normal success from behind the 3-point line in this game but was able to battle to 13 points on the night. During the game she passed 1,000 points for her career and was also a contributor by pulling down 5 rebounds. Taylor Brown is a 2022 Guard from Lift for Life Academy. Taylor led the Hawks in scoring with 19 points in their win over St. Joseph's. She was also excellent on defense where she was able to get 4 steals. When she gets steals Taylor instantly turns it into offense by looking up the floor to advance the ball through the pass. Taylor did a good job in getting into the lane and getting fouled when she could not get a clear and easy shot. When she hit the charity stripe she converted 6/7 of her attempts. Emily Lally is a 5'8 2021 Guard from St. Joseph's. Emily helped keep her team in the game by leading them in scoring with 20 points. She did struggle with her 3-point shot in this game but was able to use her game off the bounce to create scoring opportunities. Lift for Life is very aggressive defensively so Emily had to protect the ball at all times. With the aggression comes fouls and Emily converted 8/10 free throw chances. [player_tooltip player_id="107975" first="Brooke" last="Highmark"] is a 5'8 2022 Guard from Westminster and is a recent commit to Belmont. Brooke and her teammates got off to a very rocky start with only 13 points in the first half. But, the second half proved to a different story where they scored 31 points to pull off the 44-33 victory over the host school. Brooke led the team with 14 points with 7 in each half. As the rest of the team calmed down and got their shots to fall they started to pull away and erase the 5 point half time deficit. Annie Restovich is a 5'7 2023 Guard from the host Visitation Academy. Annie has been on a hot streak early this season, especially from behind the 3-point line. In the upset bid against Westminster Annie had 12 points, all of which came from behind the arc. Annie was 4/10 from deep and pulled down 8 rebounds from her guard spot. Annie has proven to have great form that she can repeat consistently when she gets her feet set under her and is on balance. [player_tooltip player_id="234533" first="Chanel" last="Davis"] is a 5'11 2021 Forward from Parkway North. Chanel led the Vikings to a first round victory by putting up 21 points and 11 rebounds. The Briar Cliff commit did not hit a 3-point shot but was 9/12 from 2-point range for a very efficient game. Since transferring back to North for her senior season Chanel has been a double/double machine, including 23 points and 23 rebounds the first time North and South met. They are 5-1 and will match up against Westminster next weekend in the second round. Alivia McCulla is a 6'0 2023 Forward from Parkway South. Alivia did her best to help keep South in this game with a season high 17 points. She is mobile and can run the floor to create easy scoring opportunities. Alivia is best in the mid range where she can use the combination of her height and athletic ability to create her own shots. In the post she can finish with either hand but is best off a catch and finish opportunity. Eventually Alivia will be best as a true stretch 4 as she develops her shot and ball handling more. In the mean time she teams with fellow 2023 Annalise Dorr to give South a bright future. [player_tooltip player_id="107016" first="Natalie" last="Potts"] is a 6'3 2023 Forward from IWA. Natalie was dominant from the opening tip in a landslide victory for the top seeded Red Knights. She used her length to help control the offensive boards and get many second chance points. As the full court press was being used Natalie also showed how effective she can be in that style of play. She is very agile for her height and can cause many tips and steals that IWA will turn into instant offense. On the night Natalie finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Morgan Ramthun is a 5'10 2022 Forward from IWA. Morgan was also very instrumental in taking immediate control of the 1 vs 16 matchup against U-City. She was very active on the boards early and ended up with 16 points for the game. Morgan is a high energy player that does not mind playing through some contact. She has a nice ability to finish through the contact and not let it stop her from getting the ball up to the rim. [player_tooltip player_id="161972" first="Kennedi" last="Watkins"] is a 5’10 2021 Wing from Marquette that has committed to SEMO to continue her career. Kennedi had 19 points in the win and showed her ball handling and quickness that she can use to attack the rim. She missed some shots she would normally make but it was still a good night for this active senior. [player_tooltip player_id="202412" first="Allie" last="Turner"] is a 5'8 2024 Point Guard from John Burroughs. Allie is a nice point guard that can put the ball in the hole, too. She handles it well and is quick with the ball which allows her to get to the spots on the floor that present her with good opportunities. In this game Allie hit 3 shots from behind the 3-point line and showed a high motor by consistently trying to attack and keep her team in the game. [player_tooltip player_id="194409" first="Chantrel" last="Clayton"] is a 5'7 2024 Guard from Cardinal Ritter. Chantrel has been off to a good start in her freshman campaign. She can handle the ball well and distribute to her team but also has a knack for scoring when the teams needs her to get a bucket. Chantrel can hit the 3-pointer and she did in this game with three of them. In addition to her 15 points she played very good defense and got 4 big steals for the team. She has really worked hard to develop her game and it is showing in her freshman season. Mackenzie Duff is a 5'11 2021 Forward from Nerinx Hall. Mackenzie had a huge game against Cardinal Ritter with 29 points. She does a very good job of going to the rim and finding ways to have space to get her shot off in the lane. Mackenzie can use either hand to finish in the lane and is adept at getting fouled. She shot 18 free throws in this game. Mackenzie is a Clemson soccer commit and you can see how she uses the body control and footwork she has learned from soccer to make her better on the basketball court. [player_tooltip player_id="107015" first="Brooklyn" last="Rhodes"] is a 6'2 2023 Forward from Whitfield. Brooklyn is a long, strong and athletic forward that has been a double double machine so far this year for Whitfield. To help them advance past Eureka in their second game of the day Rhodes led the way with 18 points. She does a very good job of attacking the offensive boards and playing in the open court where she can use her god given abilities to dominate her opponents. [player_tooltip player_id="201549" first="Kate" last="Hillyer"] is a 5'10 Guard from Eureka. Kate had a big night keeping her team in the game with 32 of their 50 points. She hit 3 shots from behind the three point line to go with a perfect 13/13 from the free throw line. Kate has nice length and a nice shot that she can hit from deep or pull up over the top of smaller defenders. Kate is committed to continue her career at D2 William Jewell College.