Players to Look Out For: Championship Edition

March Madness is here! Championship week is here! With that being said, the hours staying in the gym those late nights practicing are finally about to pay off. All the bragging rights, notoriety, and the trophy, are on the line. With one team coming out on top in each other their respective conferences; Who will be their teams MVP? <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304696" first="Amauri" last="Williams"] (2022) | 6’3 C| North Little Rock High School</strong> To say <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304696" first="Amauri" last="Williams"] </strong>is a workhorse is a under statement. The number one player in the state is a low-post unicorn who defends the paint excellently, chases after shots, rebounds and she has the ability to put the ball on the floor and lead a fast break. At 6’3 she imposes her will in the paint offensively, where she thrives the most; her footwork is immaculate, giving her the ability to play back to the basket or front her defender. With <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304708" first="Hatianna" last="Releford"]</strong> on the court at the same time, the fans are sure to see a battle to the end. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304708" first="Hatianna" last="Releford"] (2022) | 5’10 C| Northside High School</strong> Looking for a back-to-back, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304708" first="Hatianna" last="Releford"] </strong>has to be Northside’s MVP. After hitting the game winning shot last year, she will come into the game with a target on her back; however, that’s never stopped her before. The all-state and all-NWADG team honors speak for themselves. this season, she has averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals; being everything <span style="font-size: 1rem;"> </span><span style="font-size: 1rem;">the Grizzlies have</span><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> needed this season. Releford must give her everything on the court this week in order to ensure another sweet ending for her team.</span> <strong>Madison Cartwright (2023) | 5’11 G| Greenwood High School</strong> When <strong>Madison Cartwright’s</strong> parents named her, they should’ve named her stat sheet stuffer. an absolute monster on the glass, she gets it done on the defensive end notching up multiple double-digit rebound games this season. although she is 5’11 she is able to facilitate the offense allowing her to play guard. The eye ball test would automatically tell you she is an all around scorer, she has the ability to penetrate your defense or knock down the three right over them. along with those double digit rebounds, she’s notched double digit points on multiple occasions; putting up 26 points and 10 rebounds against greenbrier in the closing game of the regular season. Cartwright will peed to be on her p’s and q’s against a high powered Jonesboro team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304700" first="Destiny" last="Thomas"] (2022) | 6’4 C| Jonesboro High School</strong> 6′4″ Center, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304700" first="Destiny" last="Thomas"]</strong> helped lead Jonesboro High to the Arkansas 5A state championship last season as an All State performer. This year, she looks to repeat history against a team that put her team out of the tourney in her sophomore year. Coach Christenberry of Jonesboro said. "Defensively, she’s always there. We can make mistakes on the perimeter, and she can clean up our mess. That’s a big part of Destiny. She’s a great ballplayer and she can really help us offensively, but defensively she’s always there." The Memphis Tigers signee’s 6’4 stature is enough to scare any opponent, but when you add in her ability to finish in the paint, she is virtually unstoppable.