December’s Stock Risers

Roughly a month into the 2021-2022 regular season for girls high school basketball, several players have made great impacts on the floor with Eldorado’s Bella Hines and Bernalillo’s [player_tooltip player_id="353683" first="Juliana" last="Aragon"] leading the way. Great play from other prospects include Sandia’s forward [player_tooltip player_id="353766" first="Mariah" last="Maes"], forward Leilani Love of Albuquerque High and guard [player_tooltip player_id="357673" first="Eva" last="Love"] of La Cueva. There are different ways a player can have an impact on the outcome of a game -  the amount of effort they display, the desire to make their teammates better or simply by the statistics they average - lets look at some players who had a good month of play. &nbsp; &nbsp; <ul> <li><strong>Bella Hines - Fr, Eldorado</strong></li> </ul> Hines is a combo guard currently averaging 25 ppg while also swiping 5.5 spg. The fundamentally sound Hines has recently been offered a scholarship by the University of New Mexico thanks to her stellar play opening up her freshman campaign. <ul> <li> [player_tooltip player_id="353683" first="Juliana" last="Aragon"] - Sr, Bernalillo</li> </ul> Point Guard [player_tooltip player_id="353683" first="Juliana" last="Aragon"] not only can score but she can get others around her a basket as well. Aragon is an elite ball handler with a high IQ. After 10 games, she is averaging 35.1 ppg with 9.2 apg. Both of which lead the state. <ul> <li><strong>Leilani Love - Jr, Albuquerque High</strong></li> </ul> Leilani Love is an athletic forward that can not only rebound at a high level but can finish with either hand around the basket. Love has 4 double-doubles in her teams first six games averaging 12.3 ppg and 12 rpg respectively. The Junior is both a good individual defender but often cleans up the paint area from driving opponents as Love averages over 3 blocks a game. <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="353766" first="Mariah" last="Maes"] - Sr, Sandia</li> </ul> The senior forward is helping take her team into the Holiday break with a record of 7-1. All around play from Maes has been crucial in the teams 6-game win streak. She averages double figures (10.6 ppg) a solid defensive player with great length for her size. <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="357673" first="Eva" last="Love"] - So, La Cueva</li> </ul> An aggressive shooting guard that is averaging 11.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg in her second year. Love contributes to her teams competitiveness by her all around play that leads to many areas in the box score to be filled each outing. &nbsp; With a quarter of the season in the books, all players who have gotten off to a good start will look to keep their play sustainable as the season progresses.