Early Standouts in the Little Kanawha Conference

Year in and year out, the Little Kanawha Conference provides its fans with some of the best basketball in the smallest two classifications of West Virginia. Featuring skilled coaches and even skilled players, the league usually finishes with two or more teams at the state tournament come March at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. While we are still another month out from finding out who competes for those spots, there already are league teams and players making marks in the regular season: Here are five of those early standout athletes: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153374" first="Leslie" last="Huffman"], Parkersburg Catholic, CG, Sr</strong>. - Here’s the great thing about the Crusaderette: She never seems to go a summer without adding something to headcache of moves. So, what did she do this summer? Huffman added a stop-and-pop shot to her game thus giving her another go-to way to generate points. Known primarily for driving into the lane when she starts downhill, several defenders have simply lost her as she sets up around the elbow and fires into the basket. It, along with her other skills, are working. She’s scoring 24 points per game, after all. Couple her offensive skills with her prowess helping out with assists steals and rebounds, and the reigning two-time player of the year appears to be more lethal as we head into the middle of the season. Adding to her spotlight? Her defense shines as brightly as ever. Any low Division I or high Division II coach should be interested in adding this Swiss army knife to their roster. She’ll play from Day 1 thanks to her unnatural defensive instincts, along with her strength. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="153427" first="Rebekah" last="Rupert"], Ritchie County, PF, Jr.</strong> - What a difference one summer makes. While there certainly wasn’t anything wrong with Rupert’s game at the end of last season, the improvements made over the summer make her a completely different player in 2021. <img class="size-medium wp-image-378008 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/12-10-20-RC-Rupert-1100x738-1-228x300.jpg" alt="" width="228" height="300" /> She’s gone from a big who sometimes runs the floor to someone who can push the ball up the floor and not miss a beat in the low post. Her range also vastly improved as she often can be found out beyond the 3-point line. Oftentimes, she can be trusted to take the shot or dish it to an open teammate. However, there’s a need for more strength on several fronts. 1. Defensive players can stop her shot from going up around the basket without much effort at the moment and 2. She still struggles with double teams around the basket, but her learning to use her body to shield off the second defender would eliminate that problem. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="154942" first="Malaysia" last="Morgan"], Gilmer County, CF, Sr</strong>. - Coaches should be champing at the bit to add Morgan to a signing class. Supremely athletic, the Titan, right now is a blank slate with an inherent gift for rebounding. She just seems to know where the ball is coming down and how she’s going to get to it. If that isn’t enough, she’s gifted enough to guard one through four alongside slotting in as a 2-4 on the offensive side of the ball. She may need a little work on ballhandling as it isn’t something she’s often asked to do for Gilmer County. Yet, her continued improvement over the last three years and great attitude makes her a prime candidate in learning and adding more to her game. As a bonus, she’s a crafty scorer, who often contorts her body in just the right way in converting a tough shot. <strong>Faith Mason, Roane County, G, Jr.</strong> - Many LKC fans may have expected Mason's teammate Maddie Hall to end up on this list, but Mason stands out for a few reasons early in the season. Mason, who stands 6-foot, continues to learn how to best utilize her long and lanky body. Not only does she make a tough defender, but her range now extends from the basket out to the three-point line. If there's an area she needs to improve on, it might be her attention to detail on the defensive end. Some lapses in concentration tend to let her assignment open for a shot. <strong>Abby McDonough, Doddridge County, PG, Jr</strong>. - The biggest thing coaches should see about the Bulldog is her fearless nature. McDonough does not care who's guarding her or who she's guarding, she brings 100 percent, 100 percent of the time. Whether it be her driving to the past, popping a trey in the face of a defender, or attacking someone in a diamond press, McDonough goes all out, regardless of the ramifications. Of course, her superior court vision assists her in some of these areas, while her ballhandling ability helps in others. Overall, she's a player who's going to keep growing and is never satisfied. &nbsp;