Central Regional vs Jackson Memorial Top Standouts

Two powerhouses of the Shore Conference took to the court on Wednesday night to fight for supremacy. Only one team would come out still undefeated, and thanks to the star power on Jackson Memorial’s roster it was them, defeating Central Regional 64-51. There were top prospects scattered all over the court so it was hard to pick just three stars for this game, but these three stood out above the rest of the competition. <strong>1st Star: Lexy Linton (Jackson Memorial):</strong> One thing that Jackson Memorial has that a lot of programs don’t is the ability to rely on not only one star, but in a seconds notice they have another. Lexy Linton is one of those stars. The Kent State basketball commit put on a show Wednesday night on her way to a game high 24 points, four rebounds and five steals. The senior transferred from Rancocas Valley High School this year to chase a state championship and she has quickly adapted to playing with a new team and has even shown that ability to take over late in games. Linton is extremely active on defense, her quick hands give her many opportunities to grab steals that turn into easy transition points. That’s what she relied on throughout this game as shown by her five steals. Besides that Linton loves to drive in and look for contact or pass it to an open teammate at the last possible second when defenses can’t adjust. This wasn’t a star making performance for Lexy Linton because she’s already a star, this game just proved it. <strong>2nd Star: Tanaiyha Decker (Central Regional):</strong> Central Regional has a future star on their hands with Tanaiyha Decker, she showed that once again on Wednesday. Although her team couldn’t come out with the win Decker did everything possible to put Central Regional in a position to come back. The freshman finished with 19 points, making six free throws showing she isn’t afraid to seek out contact and go to the line. Playing against a Jackson Memorial team with so many top players isn’t an easy task but Decker didn’t back down. In just three games Tanaiyha Decker has shown she has the type of talent that makes people pay attention, this may have been her coming out party. <strong>3rd Star: [player_tooltip player_id="155550" first="Rachel" last="Capua"] (Jackson Memorial):</strong> Coming into the season [player_tooltip player_id="155550" first="Rachel" last="Capua"] was looked at as the top dog on a stacked Jackson Memorial team. The arrival of transfer Lexi Linton has somewhat clouded that prediction but the duo’s play so far has shown that they can both shine. Capua, a New York Institute of Technology basketball commit, scored 16 points and chipped in on defense with three steals in a stellar defensive effort by the entire team. The senior once again showed her threat as both a shooter and force inside, defenses have to constantly double team her to make sure she isn’t getting good looks, giving other members of the lineup chances with less of a defensive presence. This wasn’t a dominating game like we’ve seen from Capua in the past, but this highlights how steady of a presence she is against another top team.