Top Players of the Week: 2/21 – 2/26

The last week of February featured the first two rounds of VT's high school playoff basketball, and we got a healthy serving of buckets and boards from numerous hoopers. Who's putting in the work to play in March? <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='496126' first='Elyse' last='Macdonough'], 5'8 PG - RMHS Class of '24</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">Elyse has been red-hot from three-point land lately and that remained true in the second-round game against Burlington High School. Elyse had parking lot range and dropped six threes, finishing with a cool 30 points in their 31-point W. She was totally locked in, holding BHS' young guards in check and tracking down loose balls for extra possessions. Elyse is stoking the fire at just the right time as RMHS heads into the semi-finals.</span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='428153' first='Shelby' last='Companion'], 5'9 G - CVU Class of '23</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">Shelby led CVU in their 21-point win over Colchester High School this week with grit and buckets. She laid down an effortless 16 points, doing so with transition finishes and a couple of treys. By slashing and looking for open windows, Companion got teammates involved with nice interior passing and kick outs, collecting five dimes. On the defensive side she snatched three steals and exhausted CHS guards with on ball pressure. The Redhawks are semi-finals bound and Shelby is the powerful engine in CVU's well-driven machine.</span> <strong>Megan Thompson, 5'8 G - CHS Class of '25</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">Thompson put in a highly efficient 22 points against a tough CVU squad on Thursday night. Her stroke has a rainbow arc on it, catching all nylon with her five three balls. She's also got driving capabilities and put down a number of floaters and lay-ins against CVU's zone. An impressive showing from the freshman gunner.</span> <strong>Karsyn Bellomo, 5'8 G - RHS Class of ‘23</strong> <span style="font-weight: 400">Bellomo had 20 points with four threes in the opening game of the playoffs. The junior PG led RHS to a first-round blowout thanks to contributing nearly 50% of the team's total offense. Karsyn has the ability to get to the rim with her left or her right hand off of her killer crossover, and the threat of a blow-by gives her ample space around the arc. Her quickness and strength allow her to play uptight on defense, and she has the wind to play 30+ minutes a game, as she did against MMU in a one-point loss in the quarterfinals.</span> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='335483' first='Reese' last='Perry'], 5'9 G/F - WHS Class of '22</strong> Reese is a stat-sheet stuffer, there's no arguing that. She dropped a sleek 20 points, nine rebounds, four steals, and four assists in a big first round W, and followed it up with 33 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks in a blowout win in the quarterfinals. Reese is a unique talent; her instincts and early work get her into great defensive positioning, and in doing so she finds herself able to clean both the offensive and defensive glass. She's adept at reading passes out of WHS pressure defense and can get coast-to-coast off a steal. She's got range out to three-point land and a motor to play a full game, if ever necessary.