Hoop Mountain Fall Showcase: '22 Standouts

Below are the ’22 standouts from Saturday’s Hoop Mountain Fall Showcase.   [caption id="attachment_325914" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9909-scaled-crop-1672x1098-1631540818.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-325914" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9909-scaled-crop-1672x1098-1631540818-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="263924" first="Lauren" last="Cho"] - Hopkinton/MA Huskies - 5’9’’ - CG On Saturday, Cho showed off her quick first step and slashing ability throughout the day. She was hard to handle on the perimeter and got to the paint at will. If Cho wanted to go middle, she accelerated past the defender and knifed her way through the paint for easy shot opportunities. Cho also saw the court well and did a good job locating shooters spotting up on the outside for uncontested three-pointers. Combined with her high IQ and defensive prowess, Cho is one of the more complete combo guards in ’22.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-325916" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9903-scaled-crop-1663x1092-1631540881-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="279970" first="Tyah" last="Pettaway"] - MIddletown High - 5’5’’ - PG Pettaway is small but so explosive that she can be an efficient scorer as a 2 guard. Pettaway did most of her damage from the wing. Torching whoever was in front of her, Pettaway got to the hoop at will from the games I saw. She is an intelligent player, cognizant and aware of her surroundings, and displayed creative finishes to get her shot off against taller defenders. If she could not get all the way to the rim, she would use pull-up jumpers and floaters to beat her opponent.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-325918" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9880-scaled-crop-1639x1076-1631540944-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="263806" first="Taylor" last="Lambo"] - Watertown/MA Huskies - 5’10’’ - PF Lambo owned the paint all day long, consistently winning battles on the glass and being highly effective in the high post. She is a terrific and trustworthy playmaker when she catches the ball in that area, and you can run the offense through her because of her willingness to pass. She saw the floor well and played mistake-free basketball game after game. Lambo was strong, tough on the inside and made her presence felt throughout the showcase.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-325920" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9900-scaled-crop-1646x1081-1631541004-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="263855" first="Gabby" last="Redford"] - Amesbury/Mass Elite - 5’10’’ - SG Redford is one of the most underrated players in the ’22 class, and I don’t think people understand how easy she can fill up the scoring column. She could score 20 points in her sleep and showed the ability to do so over the weekend. Redford carved up every defender with vicious rip-throughs and mid-range pull-ups. Additionally, Redford would casually drain threes if the defense sagged off. She is a big guard with athleticism that is a mismatch nightmare on the wing. Redford is a must-watch prospect this fall.   <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-325922" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9906-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1631541096-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="287413" first="Hallie" last="O’Toole"] - Wilbraham & Monson - 6’0’’ - SG/SF O’Toole came right out the gates lighting up the gym with her long-distance shooting. Arguably the most accurate shooter at the showcase, O’Toole effortlessly made the defense pay for leaving her open. She can comfortably shoot right over the defense thanks to her height and length with zero hesitation firing, even if standing a few feet behind the arc. O’Toole put on a scoring clinic on Saturday and easily secured a spot in the top 60 of the rankings with her effort from the weekend.   [caption id="attachment_325924" align="alignnone" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9904-scaled-crop-1663x1092-1631541216.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-325924" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/IMG_9904-scaled-crop-1663x1092-1631541216-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> Photo: [player_tooltip player_id="299627" first="Juliette" last="Tarsa"][/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="325637" first="Jessica" last="Maddalena"] - Stoughton - 5’8’’ - SF Whenever there is a showcase, there is a huge emphasis on scoring and highlight-reel plays, but when I attend events, I always look for players who impact the game in different ways that don’t necessarily appear on the stat sheet. I thought Maddalena was really good defensively in transition. I noticed her always hustling back and putting forth a solid effort to make an impactful play for her team. Maddalena had one of the more impressive defensive plays of the day when she stopped a fast break with an emphatic block that shifted the game’s momentum.