Statement Performances In Statement Games

There were 2 games last night that really drew my attention. These proved to be statement wins for some very impressive and successful programs. The 2 winning teams let it be known to the rest of the state that they are for real. Within those statement games were individual player performances that also sent big messages state wide. Let’s take a look at these statement games and the statement players from within these games. <em><span style="font-size: 24pt;">MIDLAND DOW VS. HUDSONVILLE</span></em> This was a rematch of last years semifinals in the state tournament. Both of these teams return a wealth of talent and some high impact athletes. Midland Dow exacted a bit of revenge with a hard fought 56-51 victory over the defending state champs. Both of these teams have the talent to make very deep tournament runs, so the Midland Dow win was a definite statewide statement. <em>STATEMENT PLAYERS</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="186364" first="Alexandra" last="Kolnitys"] (2022, PG, Midland Dow)</strong> Kolnitys is off to a red hot start to the 2021-2022 season. In 2 games, she has totaled 51 points, including 22 in the big win over Hudsonville. She is letting the state of Michigan know exactly what everyone is up against this season. Kolnitys is proving to be an elite scoring lead guard and is showing true takeover talent. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="179103" first="Abby" last="Rey"] (2022, SF, Midland Dow)</strong> Against Hudsonville, Rey reminded us that there are multiple players that opposing teams will have to keep in check. Rey is one of the most efficient wings in the senior class, recognizing good looks at the rim and executing when they’re available. She finished the game last night with 22 points. <em><span style="font-size: 24pt;">WILLIAMSTON VS. HOWELL</span></em> I’ll start by saying that I’m very high on the overall state of the Howell girls program, which in my eyes, makes this a very big win for Williamston. They trailed by 5 at the half, but turned the tide in the 2nd half with some stifling defense. Williamston only allowed 13 2nd half points and finished the contest with a 54-40 win. <em>STATEMENT PLAYERS</em> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="361048" first="Sophie" last="Cook"] (2022, SG, Williamston)</strong> Cook is making a play to move up the rankings at the next update. She contributed to the win on both sides of the ball and showed a well rounded game, hitting all corners of the stat sheet. Cook sent a message that she can be a go to player in a big game. She finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. <strong>Grace Porrell (2022, G/F, Williamston)</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="189307" first="Isabel" last="Lindo"]</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="147732" first="Kaley" last="Douglass"]</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="361048" first="Sophie" last="Cook"] </strong>are all pretty well known names for people vested in prep basketball here in Michigan. Porrell made it be known that there is depth of talent on this Williamston squad. She’s a versatile player that looks like she could play 2-3 different positions. Porrell finished the night with 10 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. &nbsp; &nbsp;