Buckeye State Battleground Standouts – Part 1

The 1st annual Buckeye State Battleground was held on July 2nd at the College of Wooster. This one-of-a-kind event featured all-star teams from 17 of Ohio’s counties - coached by many of the Buckeye State’s top HS bench bosses. There was a ton of talent on display at Wooster - in what quickly turned into an extremely competitive atmosphere. Here - we look at standouts from the two teams that advanced to the championship game - Washington County (champions) and Pickaway County (runner-ups). [player_tooltip player_id="159365" first="Abbie" last="Smith"] - Warren - Class of 2022 Concord University should be thrilled to have [player_tooltip player_id="159365" first="Abbie" last="Smith"] committed. She was simply dominant in this event. A big and strong post player - Smith is in outstanding shape, runs the floor well, can shoot the mid-range, scores with both hands around the rim and rebounds at a high level. There aren’t many things that Abbie doesn’t do well. [player_tooltip player_id="159360" first="Hannah" last="Archer"] - Fort Frye - Class of 2022 Archer is one of the best off-guards in Ohio’s class of 2022 and she showed why at the Battleground, averaging double-figures on the day. The sharpshooter scored it at all 3 levels - with an effortless jumper in catch-and-shoot and off-the-dribble opportunities. She also defended at a high level - showing decent athleticism and solid length against other outstanding players. Mackenzie Suprano - Waterford - Class of 2022 Mackenzie isn’t the most athletically gifted player on the court - but she has a very high basketball IQ and does an outstanding job of running her team. A good finisher through contact - Suprano seemed to always make big plays throughout the day when her team needed them. Coming from a very good HS program at Waterford - Suprano is an intriguing unsigned 2022 prospect. She finished at Washington County’s leading scorer for the day - on their way to the championship. [player_tooltip player_id="214500" first="Maren" last="McCallister"] - New Hope Christian Academy - Class of 2023 Pickaway County surprised many of the coaches and fans in attendance by making a run all the way to the championship game, before falling to Washington County. Maren was one of the largest reasons for Pickaway’s success - using her long arms to get buckets at the rim and in the mid-range. McCallister has a pure one or two-dribble pull-up and also showed the ability to go down on the block and post up smaller defenders. She blocks shots and rebounds it very well, too. Gabby McConnell - Circleville - Class of 2024 Gabby did a little bit of everything for Pickaway during her team’s six games. She was the team’s 2nd leading scorer and tied for the team’s lead in rebounds. A very composed player who showed little emotion throughout the day, McConnell has good range on her jumper, but also showed an impressive ability to get to the rim and finish, as one of the event’s younger players.