Western Girls Holiday Hoops Classic: Top Performers
The Western Girls Holiday Hoops Classic began on Friday, December 17th, and wrapped up on Sunday the 19th. Twelve teams would test themselves days before Christmas against each for 5 GOLDEN RINGS… or maybe not. Refs calling fouls, 2 full…
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Continue ReadingThe Western Girls Holiday Hoops Classic began on Friday, December 17th, and wrapped up on Sunday the 19th. Twelve teams would test themselves days before Christmas against each for 5 GOLDEN RINGS… or maybe not. Refs calling fouls, 2 full gyms, and 1 tournament played before Christmas Eve.
I don’t believe there was a single player that is currently Ranked at the Tournament but it gave me the opportunity to see several teams of the 6th and 7th Region all in one place to what see talent may have gone overlooked while we were understaffed. And this is who I found…
Ashlinn James – ’26 5’7″/PG – Jeffersontown
James is a good ballhandler and distributor with a gift for finding good shots for her teammates and playing good man-to-man defense. She led her team to the Tournament Championship by averaging 24 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals 5 assists, and 2 blocks per game while shooting 44% from three-point range.
She scored during a baseline out-of-bounds play, by stealing the ball and scoring during the press, and by stealing the ball on a back tip and finishing with a reverse layup.
Keziah Renee – ’26 5’5″/SF – Fern Creek
In the 4 games, played during this tournament Reeves scored 111 points for an average of almost 28 points per game (she just needed to make 1 more free throw). She made 38% of her three-point shots and collected an average of 5/5 rebounds per game.
Despite a 4-0 record, and winning their games by 25, 25, 31, and 30 points the Tigers had to settle for the 3rd place game rather than the Championship due to a rule about point differentials, or some such thing. I didn’t read the rules that led to this. But I do know the team that got to play in the Championship game in their place did not dominate their opponents so thoroughly.
Janyah Kirk – ’23 5’3″/PG – Brown
In Kirk’s best game she tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds and averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds through the tournament. She was most impactful using her great speed to create havoc on defense and score off of the steals and turnovers she created. Conversely, on offense, she is all about control as the primary ballhandler against pressure defense and in setting up the plays.
She scored on a backdoor cut, dove on the floor for tie-ups, blocked a jumper and turned it into a layup at the other end of the court, and scored on a hustle rebound putback by running the floor to get a teammates’ missed layup. She drove the baseline for the clutch layup to tie the game and send it into overtime and allow her team to earn a hard-fought win.
Rachel Ucan Ake – ’23 5’2″/SG – Atherton
Ake averaged 19 points, 9 rebounds, and made 43.4% 3-point in the tournament to help her team reach the championship game and scored a high of 27 points in a game. She drove the baseline for an 8 footer from the short corner and made 10 three-point shots during the tournament.
Deonte Nae Neal – ’22 5’3″/CG – Iroquois
Averaging 19 points and 5 rebounds during the tournament, Neal scored a high of 27 points during a game. She is her teams’ primary ballhandler and carries the scoring load. She gets her points off penetration for short jumpers and layups and in transition as well as behind the three-point line. She often scores through contact during the game. More than any other player here she puts her team on her back and tries to will it to victory.
Gracie Smithson – ’24 5’8″/CG – Fairdale
Smithson had the best tournament of her team by averaging 17 points, 6 rebounds, and scoring a high of high 32 points in a game. She banked in a wing three and scored on curving penetration from the top into the lane for a layup.
Lily Brown – ’26 5’11″/C – Seneca
Browm averaged 16 points, 9 rebounds, and made 25% of her three-point,shots and scores a high 25 points in one tournament game.
Emily Gerne – ’23 5’10″/PF – Doss
Gerne primarily scored on catch and shoot plays with both feet deep in the paint, rebound putbacks, turnaround jumpers from 2 feet, and post-up power moves. She had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds on 62.5% shooting.
Aylana Taylor – ’24 5’10″/C – Moore
Taylor is an out-of-zone rebounder grabbing several rebounds and scoring multiple times on rebound putbacks. She also scored at the rim on cuts to the basket and on a jump hook from the middle post.