Montini Xmas Tournament: Byron’s Players to Watch ( Pt.1)

<h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: ’times new roman’, times, serif;">16 teams... 8 games(per day)... 4 days. The Montini Xmas Tournament is THE tournament to be at during the holidays. Seats are filled, players are ready, and the energy in the air is indescribable. This will be my first year in the seats as a Scout, and the bench as a Coach, excited is an understatement. </span></span></h5> <h5 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: ’times new roman’, times, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: ’times new roman’, times, serif;">Below are some unsigned players to keep an eye on, and an ear open. </span></span></h5> &nbsp; ’24 [player_tooltip player_id="265973" first="Lauren" last="Miller"] | 5’10 Forward | Trinity A double-double waiting to happen when Miller is on the floor. On the boards, she can grab any and everything and bring the ball down with protection and force. When she's defending in the post she's very tough and brings that same attitude when stretching to the perimeter. Offensively, her buckets usually come on the block when posting, but she can finish on the drive as well. ’23 [player_tooltip player_id="205567" first="Jessie" last="Ozzauto"] | 5’10 Guard | Huntley Jessie's skill set is something you have to see in person. Her ball-handling mixed with her patience and poise allows her to play make with limited turnovers. Offensively, she can shoot the trey, stop and pop in the midrange area, and finesse her way into the paint. She makes a couple of moves and then its ball in the bucket. On the other side of the ball, her stamina, length, and effort contribute to her lockdown defense. High ceiling for this kid, don't forget the name ’23 [player_tooltip player_id="205568" first="Mariann" last="Blass"] | 5’9 Combo Guard | York Creative off the dribble, and just aggressive &amp; confident when it comes to putting the ball in the basket at all levels. When Blass gets in the open court, and her teammates are filling the lane... it's a show to watch. High IQ, 20/20 type of court vision, and pinpoint passing skills. Mariann is dynamic, to say the least. Moves excellent with the ball and just as well without the ball. A true combo guard, who is bound to put 25 on your head. A perfect match for her backcourt partner below. ’23 [player_tooltip player_id="335787" first="Lizzie" last="Baldridge"] | 5’9 Guard | York Strong and reliable with the ball in her hand. Lizzie is the new prototype lengthy point guard. She's dependable and patient when running the show. Her versatlity and height usually cause position mismatches, that lean in her favor. From the arc, she has a burner that's quick but accurate. In the mid area she can go to work as well. Stop and pop, catch and shoot or just a pullup. In the paint she's aggressive and crafty. ’22 [player_tooltip player_id="124878" first="Torrie" last="Kortan"] | 5’9 Wing | St. Charles East A quick and accurate long ball shooter. Kortan has one of the quickest releases I've seen in a while. Catch and shoot, standing still or just off the first bounce. Her length and wingspan adds so much value to her game on both sides. Defensively shes able to reach through passing lanes, get clean steals, and timed deflections. Offensively, she can cover a lot of ground when attacking the basket due to her long strides. She's controlled, creative and aggressive when finishing at the rim. ’22 Madeline Malarski | 5’8 Wing | Taft A lengthy guard who can defend the perimeter and post with great discipline. She can play the passing lanes or get on ball steals with her quick hands. In the post her length is her greatest asset, she can timely blocks or deflections. From the arc, Malarski is always ready to let it fly. She's a knockdown shooter when left open. '24 Grace Brumley | 5'9 Wing | Taft Brumley is a scoring wing, that can contribute at all levels on the court. Confident from long-range, aggressive on the attack, and a quick step that usually results in a two-foot floater bucket. On the boards... she shows effort and hustle, and that's on both sides. Grace can fill up the stat sheet, but when she gets going 25-30 is not out of reach ’22 Cali Papez | 6’2 Forward | St. Charles East A lefty post who has a non stop motor. On the block she has a quick should turn hook shot that's highly effective on who's ever guarding her. Papez can also stretch the floor and knock down mid range when the defense is spaced. She has tons of grit and energy on both sides of the ball, and especially on the glass. A hardworking player who is bound to grab 8-10 boards each game.