Week 7 Scouting Notes: Part One

PGH scouts feature ranked athletes from Kansas.

Richard Stockton

January 18, 2021 @ 07:35 PM

<strong>Games Watched </strong> <h6><span style="text-decoration: underline;">1/12/21</span></h6> <h6><strong>Papio South</strong> 45 – Millard North 43</h6> <h6><span style="text-decoration: underline;">1/16/21</span></h6> <h6><strong>Bellevue East </strong>60 – Norfolk 33</h6> <h6><strong>Omaha Westside </strong>60 @ Omaha South 40</h6>   <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Millard North</span> [player_tooltip player_id="173689" first="Kaylee" last="Kessler"] 2021 She doesn’t have the widest catch radius, but if [player_tooltip player_id="173689" first="Kaylee" last="Kessler"] is in the area she comes down with it. Reliable hands and timing make her an effective rebounder. She had some success in the short roll both as a scorer and passer.   <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Papillion La Vista South</span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="173681" first="Tate" last="Norblade"]</strong> 2021 The senior combo guard was excellent on defense against the Mustangs. She started the game off with an excellent weakside double to tie up the center and win a possession. With Papio South down big at half, they alternated between a half- and full-court 1-2-2 press. It was wildly successful, forcing the ball out of [player_tooltip player_id="174479" first="Darian" last="Winkelbauer"]’s hands, who is steady with the ball. Norblade was the head of that attack, racking up deflections and steals all throughout the second half. <strong>Mckenna Blankman</strong> 2022 Another combo guard on this Titans roster who brought excellent defensive intensity and energy when they needed it. She was the beneficiary of a few hammer actions, and she knocked down each of those corner three-point attempts. She is a very quick player and it shows most on defense and her off-ball cutting. A few times, her teammates missed her on excellent cuts because they couldn’t react as quickly as she did. <strong>Savanna Solomon</strong> 2023 This is a sophomore I will be watching closely this season. With the game so close in the final quarter, the Titans turned the ball over to Solomon and let her run the offense the whole way. This was after an impressive third quarter in which she showcased great defensive skill, ability to catch and shoot while on the move, and handle the ball. Her fluency in the jumpstop, ball fake, and her defensive anticipation are all very promising as an underclassman. <strong>Alayna Kustka</strong> 2021 The best rebounder on that court was Alayna Kustka. I don’t have official stats but I counted 4 offensive rebounds, and several other on the other end that I did not count. She has both the size and catch radius required to be a top-level rebounder. She high points the ball pretty well, and never brings the ball below her head. She goes right up with it, or keeps the ball high while she scans for the outlet.        