Morton College High School Jam: Top Performers (Part One)

Last Saturday I attended the first three games of the 2022 Morton College High School Jam, which included several top teams from the Chicagoland area and nationally ranked Incarnate Word Academy from Missouri. Here is a group of players who stood out from the games I watched: <strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="343740" first="Olivia" last="Mezan"], 5’7” Guard, Lyons Township</strong> A sharp-shooting Combo Guard with endless confidence and a wide range of skills, Mezan is one of many players who provide a positive impact to Lyons’ success. The University of Missouri-St. Louis commit can play any of the Guard positions with her ability to handle the ball at the top of the offense and knock down shots from deep consistently. Olivia scored 10pts in Lyons’ victory over Fenton. <strong>2023 [player_tooltip player_id="363327" first="Ella" last="Ormsby"], 5’8” Guard, Lyons Township</strong> Ormsby is a skilled and crafty Guard who can play on or off-ball with her reliable ball-handling skills and scoring abilities. She is a high-IQ player who plays within her role and constantly puts herself in position to make plays with her readiness and movement. Ella is a sound defender on the defensive end who communicates well and competes on every possession. <strong>2022 Izzy Lee, 6’0” Forward, Lyons Township</strong> An athletic Forward who impacts the game in the lane with her mobility and skill, Lee is the perfect interior piece for this Lyons team. The University of Illinois Soccer commit has excellent footwork and ball skills on the block to create open shots for herself where she finishes strong and with good touch. Izzy moves well without the ball and runs the floor well in transition with great awareness so her teammates can set her up to make a play. <strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="158267" first="Hailey" last="Markworth"], 5’9” Guard, Lyons Township</strong> Like I tweeted out during the game, Markworth’s evolution from role player to Leader over the past couple of seasons has been so much fun to watch and was evident by her 20pt, 6reb performance in only three quarters. The Winona State commit is aggressive on the offensive end but understands when to attack and when to slow things down and run the offense. Hailey has a smooth jumper from deep and often utilizes it in the mid-range game after driving past her defender on the perimeter. <strong>2024 Gracen Haska, 6’0” Forward, Fenton</strong> Haska is a talented Forward who primarily plays in the lane and puts up solid scoring and rebounding numbers with her skill and length. She is a high-effort player at both ends of floor and showed a nice collection of post moves and good touch when looking to score on the low block. Gracen gives good versatility on defense with her athleticism to guard on the perimeter and her shot-blocking abilities in the lane. <strong>2024 [player_tooltip player_id="265967" first="Brooke" last="Carlson"], 5’8” Guard, Batavia</strong> The Number 9 Ranked Player in Illinois’ Class of 2024, Carlson showed her ability to take over a game for her team in a tough loss to Downers Grove North, in which she scored 23pts. She is a speedy ball-handler who uses her strength to fight through contact in the lane and finish at the basket. Brooke shoots it well from beyond the three-point line and constantly applies pressure to opposing Point Guards on the defensive end to come away with steals. <strong>2022 [player_tooltip player_id="161014" first="Tessa" last="Towers"], 6’5” Center, Batavia </strong> Towers is a dominant post presence in the lane who was nearly unstoppable in the second half and overtime against DGN, scoring a game-high 27 points and bringing down 10 rebounds. The University of Wisconsin commit has a refined back to the basket game with excellent footwork and solid touch with her one-handed baby hook shot. Towers also displayed a smooth jumper from the elbow on multiple occasions and controlled the paint on defense with her shot-block ability. &nbsp; &nbsp;