MAC Shootout – Best Performances: Guards

On Friday and Saturday, the Mid-America Center hosted a Nebraska vs. Iowa border battle. There were six girls teams from each side of the river who faced off against one another. Roncalli defeated Thomas Jefferson, and Bellevue West defeated Abraham Lincoln on Friday. Saturday’s results were as follows: Underwood beat Fremont-Mills, Treynor defeated St. Albert, Fremont won against the Glenwood Rams, and Lewis Central fell to Omaha Skutt. <strong>Abby Bennett - Roncalli</strong> The senior combo guard had no issues getting where she wanted against Thomas Jefferson. She is quick off the dribble, and strong with the ball. She was an excellent catch and shoot option for the Crimson Pride, nailing 3 first-half 3-pointers to punish sagging defenses. She was one of the fiercer defenders on the day. She was getting right in the grill of her matchup, but kept her foot moving and hands in a legal guarding position. Her pressure led to several turnovers and easy runouts in transition. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="174468" first="Taryn" last="Wharton"] - Bellevue West</strong> The Northern Iowa commit put together the most complete performance of any player who participated in the border battles. She starts off the game will a pull up three-point shot off the dribble, and then hit another three a few possessions later, this one off the catch coming off a cross screen. Despite all her fantastic scoring, it is the defense and her court vision that separates her from the pack. One play in particular from her game against Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln stood out to me. https://youtu.be/M1cY_v9ZmS0 She moves her feet extremely well to contain the dribble, but ends up getting switched onto the big. She walls up enough and is smart enough not to concede a foul as a result of her size disadvantage, and she forces a tough enough look that it misses. She then delivers a full-court dime for what should have been an assist. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165011" first="Jillian" last="Shanks"] - Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln</strong> The lengthy point guard proved a difficult matchup for the Thunderbirds at times on Friday. The senior stands at 5’8" and has long arms that she utilizes to create passing windows and stymie ball-handlers. Bellevue West was electing to screen Shanks off [player_tooltip player_id="174468" first="Taryn" last="Wharton"], giving Wharton the easier matchup. She penetrated the defense and was always cognizant of where the ball needed to be, especially when it was not in her hands. When other ball-handlers collapsed the defense, Jillian reliably hit down spot-up three-pointers for her team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="94501" first="Taylor" last="McCabe"] - Fremont</strong> The University of Iowa commit scored a career-high 37 points in a win against the 4A #1 Glenwood (IA) Rams. After getting down big, McCabe took over from a playmaking standpoint. She scored 17 points without missing a shot in the 3rd quarter to help the Tigers regain the lead. What impressed me most was how well she handled herself when Glenwood sent pressure her way. A few times, the Rams elected to send double teams near half-court. To counter one of them, McCabe saw the double coming and sprinted past her defender before the second Ram arrived. From there, she had a numbers advantage and created an open three. Against another trap, she faked a pass to create a window, and now her teammate had a numbers advantage. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63624" first="Madison" last="Camden"] - Glenwood</strong> Madison was a threat as a catch-and-shoot option for the Rams against Bellevue West. She did an excellent job of sliding up or down into the ball-handlers eye-path, and was ready to receive the ball. Her shot attempts were in rhythm and confident. As a passer, she kept it moving and mixed in some fakes which overextended the defense. Her shooting kept the Rams in this one at times when the rest of the offense was looking rough.