South v. NDA: 40 is the New 20

<span style="font-weight: 400;">South High came into Saturday’s matinee contest vs. Notre Dame Academy (Worcester) on a mission. Their defense was aggressive and physical right from the opening tip, and the suffocating pressure caused many turnovers. They went on to win 79-26 and got an explosive offensive performance by their senior shooting guard. </span> &nbsp; <strong>Player of the Game: </strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-387879" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/ADED4303-255F-4517-B2BD-686675A907EE-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1644856007-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="289632" first="Tamia" last="Nunes"] - South High - 5’9’’ - SG - ’22</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Nunes had 20 points in the first half and 20 more in the second for a 40 point explosion vs. Notre Dame Academy. In the second quarter, she couldn’t miss and hit shots from all over the court. Nunes could not be stopped in the long, mid, and short-range, and she bullied the Notre Dame defenders with her upper body strength. She had 4 three-pointers and effectively got the basket, drawing fouls. Nunes’ offensive rebounding was impressive. I liked how aggressive she was wrestling for second-chance opportunities and racked up points in that manner.</span> &nbsp; <strong>South Standouts: </strong> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-387877" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/05/26743456_Unknown-crop-1256x825-1644855841-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="289631" first="Grace" last="O’Gara"] - 5’6’’ - PG - ’22</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">O’Gara is such a great facilitator on offense and executes at a high level. She can score at all three levels, finish in multiple ways, and control the tempo well. O’Gara’s passing and court vision are excellent, and in this game, she proved to be one of the best post entry passers that I have seen this year. The accuracy of her passes and the angle she throws them at are impressive. Lastly, O’Gara is a leader who always plays hard and does a good job maximizing the talent around her. </span> &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="387873" first="Ari" last="Gonzalez"] - 5’4’’ - CG - 23</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Gonzalez was one of the most noticeable defenders for South who wreaked havoc all game long. Her quickness and reaction time popped when South was in their full-court trap, and she disrupted many passes. Gonzalez can stretch the floor with her shooting making her a complimentary three and D prospect alongside O’Gara and Nunes. She finished with 8 points. </span> &nbsp; <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-387875" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/05/26741056_Unknown-crop-1261x828-1644855698-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="282618" first="Naima" last="Bleou"] - 5’6’’ - CG - ’24</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400;">Bleou made the most of her minutes Saturday afternoon, chipping in 4 points and being a pest on defense. In her short stints on the court, Notre Dame Academy was bothered by Bleou’s athleticism, and she caused a handful of turnovers and bad passes. I like Bleou’s offensive upside. She has the strength to body defenders when driving to the rim and has the confidence to shoot over the top of defenders off the dribble.</span>