Tabor v. Nobles: Blackout

<span style="font-weight: 400;">Tabor went on the road to Nobles Friday night and won convincingly, 61-46. In a battle of two undefeated squads, Tabor was in complete control the entire game and seemed to be clicking on all cylinders. They are a scary team when that star-studded roster is dialed in, and they played like the clear-cut favorite in NEPSAC AA. Below are the standouts. </span> &nbsp; <strong>Player of the Game: </strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-377090" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/5395BE5E-4BCE-4B25-AE7F-DC2124AB15E7-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1642445260-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="270725" first="Ava" last="Black"] - Tabor - 5’11’’ -CG - ’25</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Black’s performance was highly impressive because of the magnitude of the situation. Tabor was down starting 2 guard [player_tooltip player_id="263837" first="Cassidy" last="Yeomans"], and Black was inserted into the starting 5 and was consistently great throughout the game. She led Tabor in scoring with 13 points,was confidently blowing by the tough perimeter Nobles defense and showed her range with a big three in the 2nd half. What made Black so valuable for Tabor was her rebounding and defensive impact. She crashed the glass and battled hard, using her size and strength advantage to secure possessions. Her motor and effort on defense halted any momentum that Nobles tried to gain as Black’s activity in passing lanes led to countless transition opportunities. Black’s performance and Tabor winning so handily against one of New England’s powerhouses solidified her top 3 status in ’25. </span> &nbsp; <strong>Tabor Standouts: </strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-377088" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/3BC0B7A4-FC61-4562-B674-E473B547FC25-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1642445140-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="266805" first="Sophia" last="Vital"] - 5’3’’ - PG - ’23</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Vital is fascinating because it seems like every second half of every game, she turns up the heat on the opposition and makes back-breaking plays that completely shifts the outcome. In the third quarter, Nobles started to make a run, and Vital went on this steals spree that took the life out of her opponent. Vital’s defensive ferocity completely disrupted and rushed Nobles’ offense, whether they were pickpocket or back tap steals. Her on-ball defense is out of this world. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-377086" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/717404BE-CF43-4176-BFC4-1081A1DD99F6-scaled-crop-1707x1121-1642444955-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="263817" first="Teagan" last="Curran"] - 6’0’’ - SF - ’22</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Curran’s high IQ jumped out at you when Nobles went to a zone defense in the first half. I like how Curran moves without the ball and finds gaps in the zone that puts pressure on the defense. Her continuous movement forced the defense to make decisions, and as a result, Curran was the recipient of easy baskets around the rim. She finished in double figures with 11 points. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-377084" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/C901FF16-2D97-4C64-BFC9-72F18351B833-crop-1537x1010-1642444837-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="270944" first="Claire" last="Keswick"] - 6’0’’ - SG/SF - ’24</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">A big reason why Tabor got off to a fast start on Friday was Keswick’s energy and effort on both sides of the ball. Keswick’s size and length were bothersome. She was aggressive, got up in her opponent’s air space, and was the ultimate disrupter. Keswick ran the floor hard and is a high motor player who can be a potent scorer also </span> &nbsp; <strong>Nobles Standout: </strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-377083" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/01/BC68F62E-956A-4AE0-9252-6B252116844C-scaled-crop-1706x1121-1642444798-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="273929" first="Christina" last="Pham"] - 5’7’’ - PG - ’25</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">I thought Pham had her best game of the season, and even though it came in a loss, I think she proved that she could potentially be the best player in her class. She led the game with 19 points and hit a handful of threes but most impressively did so with the best point guard defender draped over her. Pham was challenged every offensive possession and kept attacking the Tabor defense to get Nobles back in the game. Pham has an intangible that I haven’t seen from any freshmen thus far. No one has more heart and drive to win than Pham, and it makes up for lack of size or athleticism compared to other top prospects. Pham is a player to track the rest of the winter, because it looks like she has figured it out and should have more big games like this one.</span>