Phenom Lady Rumble: Saturday’s 2024-25 Top Performers
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Offseason? Many of the state’s premier basketball players do not know much of an offseason as after the high school season completes itself, the AAU season commences. Lately, Carolina Courts in downtown Concord – the site of the first-ever Phenom…
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Continue ReadingOffseason? Many of the state’s premier basketball players do not know much of an offseason as after the high school season completes itself, the AAU season commences.
Lately, Carolina Courts in downtown Concord – the site of the first-ever Phenom Lady Rumble event – has not known much of an offseason either. It also hosted LBI March Madness a couple of weeks ago that featured a laundry list of teams from both Carolinas as well as Virginia.
We at Prep Girls Hoops were on hand at Cabarrus County venue to take in the weekend’s basketball happenings. It was overflowing with talent from the sophomore and freshman classes.
Paige Sarver Paige Sarver 5'10" | PF South Iredell | 2024 NC – 2024 – South Iredell HS – Charlotte Dream Elite 16U – Paige is poised to take her blossoming basketball career to the next stage. Sarver spent at least one of the contests her team was involved in carving up an opposing team’s defense. She dropped 10 points in the early portions of Saturday when Charlotte Dream Elite 16U prevailed over FBC Carolina Hawks Elite 16U Horn – a 44-36 decision. Sarver contributed 10 points to her club’s cause. Strong suits of Sarver include the ability to rebound, a knowledge on how to block shots and one for how well she will distribute the ball and find open teammates.
Raven LeXander Raven LeXander 6'0" | SF Myers Park | 2024 State NC – 2024 – Concord Academy – Lady Attack Elite 17U National – LeXander’s team began Saturday’s slate of games in emphatic fashion with a dominant victory over Team Hickory in its only game that day. She scored 10 points against Team Hickory. As a six foot sophomore who can play a variety of positions on the court, LeXander is a valuable asset to have on the court – whether for Lady Attack Elite 17U National. She has confidence in her 3-point shot, can rebound, is a consistent threat to steal the ball, plays interior defense and finds herself consistently at the right places at right times on the court.
Sarah Strong Sarah Strong 6'2" | PF Grace Christian | 2024 State NC – 2024 – Grace Christian School – Lady Strong/Strong Center 2024 – Place the Crusaders big on any court and containing automatically becomes a top priority for whoever is guarding her and the coaching staff hoping to limit her touches. Except, containing Strong, particularly in the low post with her imposing paint presence and skill, is not exactly an easy chore. In addition, she displays her versatility with her ability to get out on the perimeter and knock down 3-pointers in addition to how she bolsters her team’s rebounding and passing efforts. Strong dropped 19 in a Lady Strong/Strong Center 2024 victory over Team United-Tate and 29 against Lady Royals 17U – also in a victorious effort.
Olivia Burke Olivia Burke 5'8" | CG Porter Ridge | 2024 State NC – 2024 – Porter Ridge HS – Lady Attack Elite 17U Morrison – Carolina Courts in Concord has been very kind to Burke in the early going this club season. She had herself a game in one of the early contests two weeks ago at LBI March Madness and followed it up with another strong showing this weekend. Burke is an at-will scorer who also has a skill for knowing when to put points on the board and when to distribute. She draws plenty of attention – and draws a bit of contact which can place her at the free throw line. Burke gives her team plenty of energy. She had 13 points in a lopsided Lady Attack Elite 17U Morris win yesterday afternoon over Team United 17U-Tate.
Jerin Truesdale Jerin Truesdale 5'9" | SF Myers Park | 2024 State NC – 2024 – Myers Park HS – Team United 17U-Tate – The crowd is not saying “boo,” it’s saying “Tru.” The 2022 AAU campaign is her first with Team United 17U after being part of Team Curry as well as with Lady Attack Elite. Truesdale will find a way to the basket. A 5-foot-9 combo guard, some of her best work can be done on the interior playing as a three. She is versatile, can finish with a left hand and will do plenty of work on the glass. Truesdale had a 10-point game in a game against Lady Strong/Strong Center 2024 and a 15-point effort against Lady Attack Elite 17U Morris.
Lauren Arnold – 2024 – West Rowan HS – Carolina Lady Rising Stars 17U – The team Arnold runs with in the grassroots space fits her like a glove because she is a rising star in every sense of the phrase. Arnold is a versatile frontcourt standout that will put crooked numbers up on the scoreboard. At 5-foot-10, she brings a noteworthy height advantage to almost any game she plays, creating a number of matchup problems for opponents. Arnold wins many a rebounding battle and is a heads-up player at all times, enabling her to up the number of steals she collects. She had a 15-point game against East Elite Lady Venom and a 26-point outing against Lady Attack Elite 17U Johnson.
Amanda Mitchell Amanda Mitchell 6'2" | C Willow Springs | 2025 State NC – 2025 – Willow Spring HS – Lady Strong/Strong Center 2024 – The combination of skill and height is one that has proven to be tough to contend with time and time again. Mitchell is listed at 6-foot-3 and is not only the tallest player on this year’s Lady Strong/Strong Center 2024 rendition, but also the only player on the Storm roster over six feet. That gives her a height advantage in the low post and she uses that to her advantage in terms of her scoring, shot blocking and rebounding. It also helps when looking to pass her the ball into – either in a halfcourt set or in the transition game. Mitchell averaged 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots for Willow Spring in 2021-22.