Deep South Classic: Top Performers

<strong>2022 6-0 W [player_tooltip player_id="118141" first="Kara" last="Dunn"] – Mt. Paran<img class="wp-image-118166 size-thumbnail alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2019/11/Kara-Dunn-1-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> It's easy to see why High Majors swooned for [player_tooltip player_id="118141" first="Kara" last="Dunn"] over the summer. Coach Stephanie Dunn's daughter is a dominant player that takes over games in a variety of ways. Her IQ is through the roof as not only can she pour in points from all three levels, but she can dissect defenses with her passing. She piled in 24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in a 63-47 win over Archer. Dunn is a nightmare in transition. She covers ground quickly and seemingly always makes the right decision with the ball. She can finish with grace or she can hit the open man in stride. Dunn lets the game come to her and doesn't have to hunt her offense to score 20+. Coming off a 41-point performance, Dunn let her floor game shine in the win against Archer. Don't forget that defensively she's capable of guarding 1-5 with her length and quickness. She's a budding star that could have a senior season for the ages in Class A-Private. <strong>2022 5-10 F [player_tooltip player_id="186274" first="Kaylynn" last="Kirklen"] – Mt. Paran</strong> Mt. Paran played inside-out between [player_tooltip player_id="118141" first="Kara" last="Dunn"] and [player_tooltip player_id="186274" first="Kaylynn" last="Kirklen"]. The duo connected on high-low looks throughout the game, both showcasing their soft hands and great passing. Kirklen is active in the paint on both sides of the ball. She stood out as a rebounder and finisher on offense while altering shots and earning deflections on defense. Kaylynn sported a nice touch from the elbow. Kirklen should be on some collegiate radars. Playing with Dunn and seeing what it takes to be a High Major player will only help her over the next two years. She tallied 11 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while battling a bigger Archer front line. <strong><img class="wp-image-206873 size-thumbnail alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/88_Taniya-McGowan_2-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" />2023 5-10 W [player_tooltip player_id="153205" first="Taniya" last="McGowan"] – Archer</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="153205" first="Taniya" last="McGowan"] always cranks it up a notch in the second half and crunch time. Although the Tigers fell short, McGowan scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half to pair with her 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 steals before fouling out. McGowan was unable to clean the boards like usual due to foul trouble but she can be a bully on the offensive glass as she uses her strength and nose for the ball to muscle her way to garbage points. McGowan is a well-rounded scorer. She netted two threes and used her trademark hard drives to convert in traffic. <strong>2021 5-4 PG [player_tooltip player_id="155980" first="Cazia" last="Nelson"] – Archer</strong> Undersized [player_tooltip player_id="155980" first="Cazia" last="Nelson"] fills up the box score. She's composed when facing on-ball pressure and can get into the lane and finish with floaters over shot blockers. Nelson has good range on her three-point shot and can make plays for others when turning the corner. She also provides pesky defense up top. She had 10 points, 4 assists and 3 steals vs. Mt. Paran. <strong>2021 6-2 C [player_tooltip player_id="118097" first="Sacha" last="Washington"] – Collins Hill</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="118097" first="Sacha" last="Washington"] is making a case for best rebounder in Georgia. She eliminates second chances when caroms come her way. Offensively, she bulls through defenders with her burly shoulders and finishes through contact. She didn't do it much on Wednesday, but Washington can attack off the dribble when the correct matchup presents itself. The Purdue-signee tacked on 11 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks as the Eagles finished 2020 10-0 to start the season. <strong>2021 5-9 SG [player_tooltip player_id="191969" first="Eden" last="Sample"] – Collins Hill</strong> The Old Dominion-signee has improved her creativity off the bounce from when I first saw her four years ago. Sample made some big plays down the stretch to win the 29^th Annual Deep South Classic Championship, Collins Hill's third in a row. Sample hit a three off the dribble and then converted a late coast-to-coast finish to help secure a 56-55 win over Brookwood. Sample finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. <strong>2023 5-9 PG [player_tooltip player_id="384285" first="Diana" last="Collins"] – Brookwood<img class="wp-image-206872 size-thumbnail alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/86_Diana-Collins_2-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></strong> [player_tooltip player_id="384285" first="Diana" last="Collins"] raises every one around her. Her game is velvety smooth and she almost single-handedly carried Brookwood to an upset win in the title game as she helped erase a 14-point halftime deficit by dropping in 20 of her game-high 28 points in the second half to go along with her 11 rebounds and 1 steal. Collins is calm under pressure and can get her shot off with a limited amount of space and going either right or left off the bounce. She is shifty getting downhill and can eurostep to avoid defenders before finishing with a skillful finger roll or floater. Collins sank four threes, three in the fourth quarter as Collins Hill had no answer. The Eagles doubled-teamed her early but Collins was able to break free. Diana is a High Major guard that makes Brookwood a threat to win every time the Broncos step on the floor. She's been an immediate program changer since Day 1 and will do the same in college.