Top Players: Prospects to Watch Monday in VT D1 Final Four
Monday evening will showcase VT’s four best teams, all Chittenden County based. Rice will face off against Essex, and EHS’ senior PG Paige Winter has just gotten healthy. Last time these two teams played Rice outscored them by 20 with…
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Continue ReadingMonday evening will showcase VT’s four best teams, all Chittenden County based. Rice will face off against Essex, and EHS’ senior PG Paige Winter has just gotten healthy. Last time these two teams played Rice outscored them by 20 with Elyse MacDonough and Cassie Beste controlling the game end to end, but I think Essex will have some more rhythm with their best scorer back in the lineup. The late game will showcase a well-oiled CVU team vs a grit and grind MMU squad. CVU is 2-0 vs MMU in the regular season, but it’s truly difficult to beat a team three times in a row. We know each team has their star power, but who’s going to shine brightest on the big stage?
#1 Rice Memorial High School:
Elyse MacDonough, 5’8 PG – RMHS Class of ’24
Elyse can get buckets, flat out. In the second-round game against BHS she put down 30 points with an array of moves, six of those buckets being treys. MacDonough is Rice’s go-to ballhandler and while it’s clear she can fill it up, she’s also a very capable orchestrator. Elyse finds teammates in their spots and is a willing passer off the dribble drive. Defensively, she’ll need to key in against EHS’ point guard Paige Winter; if Elyse can clamp down then Rice has a great chance of advancing to the finals.
Cassie Beste, 5’8 G – RMHS Class of ’24
Beste is Elyse’s running mate in the backcourt and is capable of scoring big any given night as well. Cassie dropped a cool 17 against BHS herself, but she does the little things too. She’s a great rebounding guard and has a knack for tracking down loose balls. Her pressure defense will come in nicely against an EHS team that relies heavily on their senior PG to set the tone. If she plays her game and forces EHS guards out of their comfort zone, then this RMHS squad has a great opportunity to advance.
#4 Essex High School:
Paige Winter, 5’6 PG – EHS Class of ’22
Winter stepped right into the action this past week and, after a month out, it doesn’t look like she’s lost a step. She’ll need to fill it up as she did against St. Johnsbury, dropping five threes, in order to get fellow teammates clean looks. She has a great passing ability and can find seams in the halfcourt and in transition just as they open up. Her senior leadership and competitive fire ought to spark this senior heavy Essex squad; maybe their experience, and Paige’s willpower, will push them into the championship game.
Emilyrose Mercier, 5’10 F – EHS Class of ’22
Mercier is a jack of all trades offensively. She showcased her arsenal against St. Johnsbury with post footwork, mid-range jumpers, a couple three balls and some nice slashes to the paint. Essex will need a big game from her defensively too, and Emilyrose certainly has the ability to control the paint and clean the glass. Essex’s zone may be able to assist her in the effort, but RMHS has a lot of shooting too.
#2 Champlain Valley Union High School:
Shelby Companion, 5’9 G – CVU Class of ’23
CVU has a number of talented players, but Shelby has the ability to elevate her teammates to a higher level of play. Her willingness to do the dirty work of locking up defensively, boxing out and chasing loose balls energizes everybody. When she gets going offensively, it seems as if she sees the play unfolding a split second ahead of everyone. She has a solid jumper out to three and gets downhill quickly with her dribble drive. Layer her passing ability on top of that, and CVU can get rolling offensively. If Shelby and her fellow backcourt can take care of the ball against MMU’s various pressure defenses, they’ll have a good chance to play one more game.
Addi Hunter, 5’10 F – CVU Class of ’23
Addi is the key to CVU’s inside game. She is a smooth operator in the high and low post, and last time these two played she made sound decisions against the zone, radiating an impressive poise under pressure. Hunter made nice little 10-footers and her post passing is remarkable. The key ingredient here is whether she can continue to box out well and clean the glass because MMU is willing to do anything for second chance points.
#3 Mount Mansfield Union High School:
Jada Diamond, 5’5 PG – Class of ’22
Jada is MMU’s main ballhandler and senior leader. Steady and self-assured, she never gets too high or too low, and this coolness encapsulates MMU’s resilience. Jada leads with her defense; she’s constantly hawking players when MMU is matched up, and in their zone, she’s reading the offense and jumping passing lanes. Her offense comes within MMU’s sets, and last game she got a number of clean looks inside due to a well-executed sequence. If Jada and MMU at large can wreak havoc in the backcourt and generate points off of turnovers, then MMU will have CVU playing their game, and may just clinch a finals appearance.
Cherise Shamp, 5’10 G/F – Class of ’23
Shamp is the first line of MMU’s defense, and often times teams have to tinker throughout the game because of the consistent trouble making it through. Cherise’s length, motor, and defensive instincts are difficult to navigate, and because of it she creates a ton of offense for MMU out of her pressure alone. Not only that, but she seems to get her hand on just about every rebounding opportunity or loose ball. Cherise is capable of filling it up inside, collecting free throws and second chance points, and can affect every play defensively. If MMU gets a big game out of Shamp, that’ll open up the looks for everyone else, and MMU may find themselves suited up next weekend too.