Region 3 Class 3A Opening Day Standouts

High-level play was the standard in the opening rounds of the Region 3 Class 3A Tournament held in Lamar. The weather-delayed Tournament finally finished on Tuesday, March 2 advancing four qualifiers for Class 3A State Tournament this coming week. Here is a list of some of those top players elevating their game to help their teams advance; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="305922" first="Ava" last="Knoedl"], Central Christian-</strong>Ava handles the ball on every possession. She leads her team in assists and also is one of the top scorers. Not afraid to penetrate the paint, this senior point guard is also a team leader that plays excellent defense. <strong>Livian Burton, Central Christian-</strong>A 6’0” post, Livian can also play facing the basket and scoring from the outside. As a junior, Lilian is the teams leading rebounder and one of the top scorers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="378451" first="Riley" last="Bryant"], Central Christian-</strong>Another 6’0” junior, Riley plays the post position predominantly but can help with the ball-handling if needed. She is an excellent free throw shooter and skilled rebounder. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="304742" first="Ashauni" last="Corley"], Episcopal Collegiate-</strong>Ashauni is an excellent stop and pop three point shooter. She works very hard to get open and look out when she does. She leads the team in scoring and can also get out on the fast break for some breakaway layups. This junior has excellent court awareness and is solid on defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="305964" first="Avery" last="Marsh"], Episcopal Collegiate-</strong>Avery is the senior leader. She directs the offense and defense, leading the team in assists and touches the ball in every offensive possession. She has excellent basketball IQ and is like a coach on the court. <strong>Jalie Tritt, Episcopal Collegiate-</strong>Jalie is a senior post player. She is an excellent rebounder at 5’11”. Jalie plays mostly in the paint with an occasional pop-out three point shot. <strong>Kiki Williamson, Mayflower-</strong>Kiki has the size at 5’11” to mix it up inside but also can spread the defense by scoring outside. She likes to attack the rim. Kiki is a very aggressive sophomore, something you don’t often see. Keep this sophomore on your radar. She can play. <strong>Hailey Francis, Mayflower-</strong>Hailey can shoot the three ball. Another sophomore, she is one of those players that is good at every aspect of the game. As a swing guard, she quietly produces positive numbers to help her team win. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="307197" first="AbbiGrace" last="Cunningham"], Atkins-</strong>Atkins season ended this week, but remember this name. AbbiGrace is a 6’1” sophomore. She plays hard at the post but can also fill the forward position. Smart with a very high basketball IQ, AbbiGrace moves well without the ball and maneuvers around the paint even better with the ball in her hands. She can hit the three and has huge potential going forward. This is a future all-state candidate. <strong>Kadee Keaster, Atkins-</strong>Kadee is a freshman point guard. She is second on her team in scoring. With the help of junior swing guard, and sister, <strong>Koree Keaster. </strong>These 3 Atkins underclassmen will wreak havoc next season in 3A District 5. Now on to the 3A State Tournament. We’ll keep a close eye on these other top performers as they pursue a State Championship. Bobby Brown