Morning Mentions: July 20th Action

<span style="font-size: 8pt;"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id="206577" first="Paige" last="Lambe"] (2023) of Verona High School (WI) and Let it Rain Black 16U.</em></span> Throughout the course of this month, I have been providing daily updates on players I’ve seen the previous day. Some articles will include strictly Indiana prospects, while others might include other Midwestern or National prospects. Below is a look at six additional young ladies who I felt stood out with their play in the games I was able to see Tuesday at the North Tartan Meltdown in Minnetonka, Minnesota. This begins action for the second "live" period of 2021. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63014" first="Taylor" last="Brunson"], 2023, 5-8 SF, Linn-Mar H.S. (IA)</strong></span> Taylor is a nice, fluid athlete who showed off her ability to knock down shots from the perimeter or attack the basket off the bounce. She has really nice length and plays with a motor as well. She found ways to contribute yesterday by exploiting different types of defenders. If bigger players guarded her, she looked to attack off the bounce. When they retreated, she shot over them. When she saw a smaller defender, she cut to the block and posted strong. She just did a nice job of using all aspects of the game offensively. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="206574" first="Makenzie" last="Drout"], 2023, 5-9 W, Kimberly H.S. (WI)</strong></span> Makenzie is difficult to label by position, because she affects the game in so many ways. She is simply a ballplayer who produces. She has a strong, athletic frame, she’s a nice downhill athlete, and she plays with an outstanding motor. She has a natural feel for the game, doesn’t force the action, and she makes players around her better. She can handle it a little and act as a point forward, she can knock down perimeter jumpers consistently like a ’2’, and she is willing to get inside and battle like a forward. She does a little of everything well. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="108324" first="Drew" last="Johnston"], 2023, 5-9 PG, Roseville Area H.S. (MN)</strong></span> Drew had a great game yesterday, and she nearly led her team to a big win. She has a wiry-strong, athletic frame, she’s fairly athletic in all directions, and she has a lot of skill and understanding. She takes care of the ball, doesn’t force the action, but she can create opportunities for herself or others. She shot the ball well from the perimeter, but she also got downhill and finished a number of times with a nice runner she seems to like. She competes every possession and gets after it defensively. She should be a really nice college point guard. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="186134" first="Jenna" last="Kluxdal"], 2023, 6-1 C, Jordan H.S. (MN)</strong></span> Jenna wasn’t the most talented kid in the gym yesterday, but she was my favorite to watch. She never stopped moving, and for a ’big’, that’s impressive. She has a strong, athletic frame, great length, and like I said, she plays with a tremendous motor. She was all over the boards, constantly pursuing rebounds outside of her area, giving her team second and third chances. She has solid hands and can finish inside, and if she can show skill to 15-feet consistently this next week, she should see a lot of college interest. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="206577" first="Paige" last="Lambe"], 2023, 6-1 PF, Verona H.S. (WI)</strong></span> Paige is another very active front-liner who stood out. She too has tremendous length, a wiry-strong to athletic frame, and she plays with a nice motor. She has some fluidity to her to where she can play out on the floor some, she can sit down and defend forwards and some wings at times, plus she showed some touch in that 15-foot range. I really like her upside to continue getting better at the next level, because I think she’s a little strength away from being a bit more forceful at the basket. That inside-out game makes her tough to defend. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="63043" first="Isabela" last="Mccool"], 2023, 5-9 F, North Polk H.S. (IA)</strong></span> Isabela is a real problem to defend, because she knows what she is/isn’t and uses that to her advantage. She is a solid athlete in most directions, she has a strong, athletic frame, and she has a versatile skillset. She is a solid perimeter shooter who needs little space to knock down jumpers consistently. When people close out aggressively, she does a nice job of putting it on the floor two to three dribbles and attacking the basket straight-line. She’s also willing to be physical inside, she’ll defend the interior, and she’s a nice rebounder.