Class of 2021 – Stock Risers (Part 1)

As the high school careers end for a legendary 2021 class in Ohio, we at PGH want to highlight some of the girls who improved their stock and moved up in our final rankings - after outstanding senior seasons. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="159013" first="Taylor" last="Thierry"] - 5’11 Guard - Shaker Heights Laurel</strong> Thierry - an Ohio State commit - was the focal piece of one of the state’s top teams in Laurel. Although the Gators did not end up winning the D2 state championship that they were working towards, they did play an outstanding schedule - and Thierry was more than up for the task. Averaging nearly 15 PPG - Thierry played all over the perimeter, flashing the athleticism and court vision that has Buckeye fans excited about the next 4 years. She is dynamic in transition with the ball in her hands and has no problem defending different kinds of players that she matches up with throughout the course of the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91075" first="Zoe" last="Miller"] - 5’11 Post - Berlin Hiland</strong> Although the first 3 years of her career would be enough from an achievement standpoint for most HS players - Miller and her Hiland classmates knew that the ultimate exclamation point would be an elusive state title. Zoe put the deep Hawks on her back at various points in the season - showing a much improved perimeter jumper to go with the always impressive rebounding ability and physicality that she has flashed since her freshman year when she burst onto the scene. Miller - the D3 state player of the year - is playing collegiately at Bowling Green. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157678" first="Jacey" last="Justice"] - 5’8 Guard - Peebles </strong> Perhaps the most dynamic scorer in the entire state of Ohio this winter - Justice averaged 32.1 PPG in her final campaign at Peebles. The Western Carolina commit finished her career with over 2000 career points - joining her older brothers in a rare club that so few players achieve. Jacey is known for her quick first step, impressive ball-handling exploits and ability to score at all 3 levels - whether it be off of the bounce or in catch and shoot situations. The high IQ guard was a 1st-team All-Ohio selection. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="266960" first="Grace" last="Vermilya"] - 5’11 Post - Loudonville</strong> In today’s game - there are not many girls basketball players who accept the idea of being a back-to-the-basket post option. [player_tooltip player_id="266960" first="Grace" last="Vermilya"] took on the challenge during her 4 years at Loudonville and excelled at it. Scoring over 1400 points - including 53 big ones against Dalton in a tournament game that people all over the state were talking about afterwards, "Amazing Grace" could score at will with both hands on the block, while also shooting nearly 85% from the FT line and flashing an ability to step out and knock down mid-range jumpers in spread and pick-and-pop situations. Grace finished the season with averages of 20 points and 11 rebounds per game. She is heading to Mount Vernon Nazarene to play at the NAIA level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91122" first="Cory" last="Santoro"] - 5’6 Guard - Bellevue </strong> The Santoro name is synonymous with Bellevue hoops. Cory - the last of the 4 siblings to come through - wrote the final chapter of her own outstanding career, this winter. She became a 2000 point scorer, was named NW District Player of the Year and led her team to yet another conference championship. Averaging over 28 PPG for the season - Cory showed that she was more than capable of leading a team as the primary scoring option, after playing with her sister Casey (now at Kent State) for the first 3 years of HS. Santoro is a silky-smooth shooter with the ability to finish at the rim or pull-up and drain a mid-range jumper off of 1 or 2 dribbles. &nbsp;