Standout Guards from the Sterling Invitational

Day 3 of the Sterling Invitational saw all seven teams in action, with Chaparral traveling to Sterling to take on the lone pool play fourth place Hutchinson Trinity. Below is a tournament wrap-up look at standout guards from the seven teams. <h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hugoton</span></h2> [player_tooltip player_id="160896" first="McKenna" last="Hamlin"]<strong>, 5’3", SG, 2021</strong> - Hamlin was very disruptive defensively on the perimeter due to her quick hands and closeouts.  Not the fastest with the ball, she shot better than 50% from beyond the arc (5/9), and generated many steals to get the running game going. [player_tooltip player_id="94958" first="Mikyn" last="Hamlin"]<strong>, 5’8", SG, 2023</strong> - Hamlin averaged more than 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and nearly 2 steals per game.  With size, speed, and strength Hamlin attacked the rim with physicality, elevation, and extension.  She showed terrific handles on the finish, switching hands in the air for a score, and in the half and full court.  Probably my MVP for the tournament. [player_tooltip player_id="160895" first="Molly" last="McClure"]<strong>, 5’5", PG, 2021</strong> - McClure showed quick hands and the ability to get the ball down the floor off a turnover or rebound via the dribble or pass.  She boxed out strongly and showed an effective floater inside off the dribble and out of a post move. [player_tooltip player_id="94974" first="Gianna" last="Vos"]<strong>, 5’9", CG, 2023</strong> - Vos averaged 17 points per game and was a streaky scorer from the perimeter.  Her first step was quick, she attacked the rim with athleticism and extension, and could draw contact to get to the line.  Vos was a player that could not be left open on the perimeter, especially in the corner. <h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hutchinson Trinity</span></h2> [player_tooltip player_id="123548" first="Becca" last="Hammersmith"]<strong>, 5’8", SG, 2021</strong> - After a sluggish first half on the offensive end her perimeter shooting would help rally the Celtics to within two points deep into the second half.  Going 3/6 from behind the arc she would finish with 15 points, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id="123523" first="Hayley" last="Hughes"]<strong>, 5’10", PG, 2021</strong> - Hughes averaged more than 22 points and 3 assists per game.  The team’s clear floor leader, Hughes showed strong handles with the ability to create shots off the bounce.  The southpaw consistently beat single defenders on the perimeter and inside due to her creativity, size, strength, and athleticism in finishing a wide variety of shots.  Her ability to score from the perimeter sets up her inside and finishing game. She wrapped up the tournament with a 38 point explosion in a two point loss to Chaparral. <h3><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kingman</span></h3> <strong>Alex Schreiner, 5’7", PG, 2022</strong> - Shreiner showed physical strength on both ends of the floor competing for rebounds as well as with her good scoring looks inside. She took care of the ball, averaging three turnovers in the 18 minutes she averaged per game.  She showed energy on both ends of the floor, vision in transition, creativity off the bounce, and the ability to finish around the rim with both hands. <h4><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Scott City</span></h4> <strong>Amber Latta, 5’5", PG, 2022</strong> - The clear floor leader for the Beavers, Latta’s game can be inconsistent.  With that being said she is a solid ball handler, gets to the rim with quickness and physicality, has solid transition speed with the ball, and is a perimeter threat especially when shooting in flow. <h4><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Smoky Valley</span></h4> [player_tooltip player_id="160905" first="Ellie" last="Brumbaugh"]<strong>, 5’3", PG/SG, 2021</strong> - Brumbaugh’s quickness, hand speed, and vision were strong throughout the tournament. She also showed transition speed with the ball off the steal.  She makes good use of change of pace dribbles and was a streaky three point shooter. [player_tooltip player_id="231271" first="Adrian" last="Hazelwood"], <strong>5’8″, PG/SG, Smoky Valley, 2024</strong> –Hazelwood had a big tournament, averaging more than 10 points and 3 assists per game.  She showed the ability to create and score from all three levels, handle the ball at speed against full-court pressure, elevate on rebounds, and defend on the wing. Hazelwood also showed good use of her length and quickness to keep ball handlers in front of her. <h5><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Southeast of Saline</span></h5> [player_tooltip player_id="191491" first="Reagan" last="Goetz"]<strong>, 5’9", PG/SG, 2023</strong> - Goetz seemed to be all over the floor at times.  Rebounding with elevation and strength, she took the ball end-to-end and finished with speed.  Her quick hands generated many steals.  Goetz also got to the rim off the dribble drive and hit the mid-range jumper. <strong>Maddie Harris, 5’5", PG, 2024</strong> - Harris handled well against half court pressure, buried the corner three, aggressively attacked the basket and made the quick, soft pass to players on the move.  She also gathered her share of steals and averaged more than three assists per game. <strong>Lexi Jacobson, 5’7", CG, 2024</strong> - While she has a slender build, Jacobsen showed quickness, a quick shot off the catch, and speed in transition.  Terrific top of the key steal and end-to-end finish versus two chasers.  She moves well into space and consistently and effectively flashes through defenses [player_tooltip player_id="124981" first="Karsyn" last="Schlesener"]<strong>, 5’7", PG, 2022</strong> - Schlesener averaged nearly 15 points, nearly 6 rebounds, and three assists.  She also collected 5 steals in her final game against Kingman.  Schlesener was a consistent scoring threat and showed good transition speed and vision.  A three point threat, she split defenders on basket attacks, and used good head and shoulder fakes and her quickness to get into the lane.  Her quick hands, scrappiness, and physicality on the defensive end were strong as well.  Due to the team’s lack of size and interior presence Schlesener is adept to doing a great deal of the dirty work inside. <h6>Sterling</h6> [player_tooltip player_id="124974" first="Kali" last="Briar"]<strong>, 5’6", PG, 2022</strong> - Briar left no doubt about her prowess as a perimeter shooter.  Demolishing the field in the three point shooting contest, she shot 8/22 (35% for the tournament) through the three games as well.  Opponents placed a high priority on defending her on the perimeter but she was able to produce in other ways, averaging nearly 4 assists and three steals per game.  Whether rebounding, challenging shots, or shooting Briar showed good hops.  She also showed speed and quickness and a strong motor, consistently working with the other ball handlers to push the pace. [player_tooltip player_id="125008" first="Makenna" last="Linden"] - Linden did a great job of getting to the rim, pushing the pace, creating off the bounce, and scoring from the perimeter.  Teams struggled to lock down both she and Briar when they were on the floor.  Linden boxed well on the perimeter and inside to gather long and mid-range rebounds.