All “A” State Tournament – Wings

<p>What even is a wing?  Do you mean like the thing like a bird has or a plane has?  Did Superman have wings?  Well, you are reading this post so I would guess that you already know the answer. </p> <p>Wings are things that are out to the sides, away from the center.  And in so many sports the players that tend to play away from the center of the playing surface tend to be called "Wings".  But why? </p> <p>Especially in basketball, where we have spots on the floor generally referred to as the "Elbows" and as people we don't have wings.  Why don't we call them "Arms" or "Hands" or even "Shoulders"?  Roads have "Shoulders" and that doesn't make any sense either because I can't think of any other body parts that have to do with roads.  </p> <p>It is a mystery.  But these are the terms someone has given to us to describe the types of players.  So let's get to it.  Here are some Wings that excelled at the All "A". </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="167103" first="Kyera" last="Thornsbury"]<strong> - ’24  5’6"/SG - Pikeville </strong></p> <p>Thornsbury was a highly consistent contributor during the All "A" with performances of 12, 14, and 14 points, 3, 4, and 6 rebounds, 2, 3, and 4 steals in increments of 26, 26, and 22 minutes.  </p> <p>She made threes from the top left and both wings, a 12 footer in the right corner, and scored on a dive cut for a layup.  She took a few defensive rebounds and a turnover coast to coast for layups and penetrated from the top for another.  She penetrated to pressure for a 7-foot pull-up and made 2 of 2 key free throws down the stretch in the semifinals to keep her team in the game. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="250278" first="Allison" last="Spieker"]<strong> - ’24  5’7"/SG - Whitfield Academy </strong></p> <p>Spieker was the late 3rd quarter hero of the 1st Round for Whitefield making 3 three-point shots to buoy her team through a rough patch. She also scored on a 4-foot floater on sideline out of bounds play, a floater after penetration from the left corner and a layup after steals the ball around the three-point line and driving it from 3/4 court.    </p> <p>Her 1st Round totals of 16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals, in 29 minutes were all crucial in their advance into the quarterfinals.  She added two additional threes for 6 points and blocked a shot she was not credited for in the statistics.   </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="164406" first="Amy" last="Thompson"]<strong> - ’23 6’0"SF - Whitfield Academy <br /></strong></p> <p>I don't know how we ended up placing Thompson into our rankings as a Center but that ought to be adjusted within the next few weeks.  I'm not even sure Small Forward is accurate but it is at least plausible.  She is some kind of wing even though she is often playing somewhere near the top of the key.  </p> <p>She was key early and in overtime of the 1st Round totaling 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 steals while playing all 36 minutes of the contest.  She made a few threes, drove the ball into the short corner for a 5 footer, squeezed shot in the paint past multiple defenders, and was able to force a few defenders to foul her at times. </p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="157974" first="Callie" last="Wiegandt"]<strong> - ’22  5’6"/PG - Holy Cross (Louisville)  </strong></p> <p>So...  Wiegandt is not really a Wing.  But I forgot to add her in the Point Guard article so...  here she is.  From what I understand she is just as likely to choose Volleyball next season rather than Basketball, which is sacrilege (not really), but she is very talented in that sport too. </p> <p>She put up 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, while making 2 of 4 three-pointers, 2 for 2 free throws, and 6 of 8 field goals while all playing 36 minutes through overtime.  </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="388796" first="Madison" last="Howell"] - ’22  6’0"/Wing - Berea </strong></p> <p>I couldn’t narrow down which position Howell actually plays like I said I was going to do before the All "A" so I had to put her in the article on Wings.  That almost covers it.  </p> <p><span style="font-size: 1rem;">She had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 5 steals, in 30 minutes of action.  She scored on a rebound putback by staying after the ball and got an assist from a </span>high post kick out for a three.  </p> <p><strong>Madison Curry - ’24  5’9"/SG - Jackson County  </strong></p> <p>Curry contributed 20 points 5 rebounds, 9 steals, and 2 assists in 60 minutes across two games.  She made a handoff assist on a dive cut, hit a right corner three, dives in for tie up, and an up-the-street pass assist during the tournament. </p> <p><strong>Kierra Whitaker - ’24  5’7"/SG - Carlisle County </strong></p> <p>Whitaker scores most of her points driving for layups and was highly efficient in scoring 21 points on 10 for 12 shooting in 30 minutes of playing time.  She also penetrated for a 6-foot pull-up floater and made 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 3 steals.  </p> <!-- wp:paragraph --><!-- /wp:paragraph -->