Conference Preview: Myers Park vs South Meck

Some of the high school conferences in North Carolina were shuffled around. Here is a new conference matchup that I am excited about seeing in the SoMeck 4A conference. Both Myers Park and South Mecklenburg have high level guard play partnered with versatile players who can play any position on the court. Here are some of the standouts from these teams. Let’s start with Myers Park: <img class="size-medium wp-image-256265 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Anna-Giannopoulou-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1613768750-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="219884" first="IoAnna" last="Giannopoulou"] (2022) Giannopoulou is a small forward who certainly put her versatility on display this summer, and I am excited to see her carry that to the school season. She can handle the ball and control the tempo of the game when she needs to, and she certainly knows how to get inside to score against contact. Her jump shot is a threat from all over the court. [player_tooltip player_id="116914" first="Mia" last="Xerras"] (2023) Xerras (pictured above) is one of the best shooters in the area being automatic when she catches the ball and puts it up. She can drive well to the basket throwing off defenders along the way. As one of the main ball handlers, she does well knowing how to get her team going, and she reads the floor knowing how to get her teammates the best passes for them to score. On defense, she thwarts her opponents diving on the floor for loose balls after she gets it away from them. <img class="size-medium wp-image-256347 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Reese-Wilson-scaled-crop-1920x1261-1613790315-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="253286" first="Reese" last="Wilson"] (2024) Wilson is a quick ball handler who can move quick up and down the court as well as side to side on defense. She has a nice side step to get away from her opponents and show off her shot, especially from deep behind the three point line. She has a nice finish at the rim showing off ball moves to get the defenders thrown off her. She can even block shots on the other end of the court. [player_tooltip player_id="252851" first="Jerin" last="Truesdale"] (2024) Truesdale can play many positions on the court. She can seal off opponents getting her position on the block to score near the basket. She can find the gaps and show off her jump shots, and she can certainly handle the ball well using aggressive moves to battle by her opponents. Her strength is seen on defense, too, blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. Now, it’s all about South Mecklenburg. <img class="size-medium wp-image-311593 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/07/Senali-Moss-scaled-crop-1921x1261-1627487961-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="116898" first="Senali" last="Moss"] (2022) Moss had a strong summer playing all over the court from handling the ball end to end to battling in the paint for some rebounds. She knew how to jump into passing lanes grabbing steals or knock the ball away from opponents trying to dribble that she easily pushed to the other end for some fast break points. She can even score with her back to the basket showing off a nice up and under move to get her points. [player_tooltip player_id="260511" first="Reece" last="Johnston"] (2022) Johnston has a nice way of finding the openings on the court whether she is moving without the ball to get an open shot or she is handling the ball to get by her opponents. She has a nice floater that she can put up over any opponent, and she battles through contact making sure nothing stands in her way. She uses her height to get inside for some rebounds extending plays or ending the possession for her opponents. [player_tooltip player_id="260171" first="Katie" last="Houpt"] (2022) Houpt recently committed to Denison for her collegiate career, and I am sure she is going to attempt to go out with a bang for her senior year. Her focus on the court is certainly fun to watch as she can make her sharp shooting a big piece that helps her team to victory even with opponents closing out on her quickly. Even when her opponents know about her sharp shooting ability, she still finds openings to catch the pass and quickly release the shot. <img class="size-medium wp-image-325177 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/09/Anastasia-Sinclair-copy-scaled-crop-1921x1261-1631324375-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />[player_tooltip player_id="253889" first="Anastasia" last="Sinclair"] (2023) Sinclair is a quick guard who is a nuisance on both ends of the court. She knocks the ball away from her opponents grabbing steals over and over again for her team. She handles the ball quickly pushing it up the court controlling the tempo of the game. She can certainly find her teammates open for their own points or score herself taking it all the way to the hoop or showing off her jump shot.