Queen of the Court

During the Elite Girls Showcase last Saturday, a portion of the event was dedicated to a Queen of the Court competition. This is one of my favorite games to evaluate players because it allows them to show off their isolation and one-on-one packages. Below are the prospects who I saw that dominated the contest.   [caption id="attachment_320731" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_9498-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1629984151.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-320731" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_9498-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1629984151-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Caitlin Alyssa Photography[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="269918" first="Madison" last="Pepra-Omani"] - BDS/Manchester Memorial High - 5’6’’ - PG - ’24 Pepra-Omani’s strength alone gives her a huge advantage when she sizes up the defender at the top of the key. Numerous times she put her head down, dropped her shoulder, and overpowered whoever was guarding and finished at the rim, easily going left or right. Pepra-Omani has the ball-handling ability to cross up and blow by her defender, but she doesn’t need to rely on it. She absorbed contact, stayed under control, and when Pepra-Omani was going downhill, it was game over.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-320734" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_9500-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1629984231-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="296986" first="Amber" last="Furtado"] - Team Saints/Ethel Walker - 6’2’’ - PF - ’25 Not too many power forwards will make a list of most impressive isolation players, but Furtado is the exception to the rule. She is not the quickest or most athletic, but you will be hard-pressed to find a big in the ’25 class with a better combination of footwork and shooting touch around the basket. Her size put the defender at a disadvantage, and her use of pump fakes, spin moves, and hook shots was easy money.   [caption id="attachment_320736" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/fullsizeoutput_7e88-crop-847x556-1629984285.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-320736" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/fullsizeoutput_7e88-crop-847x556-1629984285-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: Caitlin Alyssa Photography[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="320705" first="Corinn" last="Ouellette"] - CBA/Trumbull - 5’6’’ - CG - ’22 Ouellette has one of the most aggressive crossovers, and although girls on this list might have a wider range of go moves in a one-on-one setting, Ouellette has the most effective. Her acceleration and explosion post dribble crossover were killing defenders, not just during Queen of the Court, but also throughout live play. Ouellette attacked with purpose and was relentless, getting into the paint and scoring at will. Ouellette had a strong showing last weekend and stood out amongst her peers at her position.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-320738" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_9499-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1629984357-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="263847" first="Avah" last="Ingalls"] - Team Saints/Pinkerton Academy - 5’9’’ - CG - ’22 Ingalls was born for the Queen of the Court competition. I still have yet to find a player with more moves in her bag than she has. It does not matter what the defense throws at Ingalls because she will make them pay with step-throughs, pivots, and fadeaways. She is smooth handling the ball and constantly puts defenders in the spin cycle. She ripped off a few wins in a row on Saturday, and she used a different move every time to get a bucket. Ingalls is a fascinating and gifted scorer who continues to impress me on offense.   [caption id="attachment_320728" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-320728" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/08/IMG_9497-scaled-crop-1224x804-1629983253-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> Photo: Samantha Jones[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="269245" first="Kelian" last="Cedano"] - Lady Rivals/ Bradford Christian - 5’9’’ - SG - ’24 Queen of the Court should be named after Cedano because that is how special she is isolated on the perimeter. Once this competition started, it was all eyes on her because she is that dominant in this setting. Her elite athleticism and quickness pop out immediately, but her ball security when attacking is the most underrated part of Cedano’s game. When Cedano drove to the rim, she never turned the ball over or made herself vulnerable by exposing the ball to the defense. She protects the ball well, and once she turns the corner on the opposition, it’s a wrap. Cedano can stop on a dime for a pull-up jumper, or break you down and blow by you. She is lethal and one of the best shot creators I’ve seen this year.   https://x.com/HerStatsMedia/status/1429084064921829379