State Championship Superlatives: Mean Defenders

<p class="p1"><span class="s1">The NCHSAA state championships were this past weekend.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>I was able to catch the AA and AAAA games, and here are some of the best defenders from the competitions.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>Jazlyn Harris</b> (Julius Chambers, 2024) was a a straight thief on the court grabbing steal after steal, and she scored these on the other end taking it all the way to the hoop.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>She also showed off her range shooting from deep.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>Her three pointers in the second half were helping bring the Cougars back to life and gain the lead for good.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="201850" first="Aaliyah" last="El"]</b> (Julius Chambers, 2023) was dominant on defense holding a McDonald’s All-American to three points in the first half.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>This was certainly crucial down the stretch as her opponent had to shift their game plan.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>She did well reading her opponent and keeping her in front making sure she couldn’t get the ball at all or at least blow by her on the drive.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1"><b>[player_tooltip player_id="210158" first="Kayla" last="Decker"]</b> (Julius Chambers, 2023) was ready to make an impact as soon as she stepped on the court diving on the floor for loose balls and knocking the ball away from opponents trying to make a fast break.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>She also got inside to grab rebounds ending the possession for her opponents, and she knew exactly how to push it back up the court.</span></p> <p class="p1"><span class="s1">Special mentions should definitely include <b>Mary Morgan</b> (Salisbury, 2023) who took three charges in the game showing solid defensive decision making.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>She was a force on the boards grabbing nine rebounds, too.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="285933" first="Haley" last="Dalton"]</b> (Salisbury, 2023, featured photo) also had some massive blocks against a future Division I player holding her in check through three quarters.<span class="Apple-converted-space">  </span>Her rebounding was also great, especially as she was able to put it back up for some second chance points.</span></p>