The upcoming [program_tooltip program_id='716194' first='[program_tooltip program_id='716194' first='[program_tooltip program_id='714510' first='[program_tooltip program_id='713097' first='Dynasty' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] Region Finals is set to be held this upcoming Saturday and Sunday at Hy-Vee Arena, Kansas City, Missouri. It is the second of two Prep Girls Hoops Circuit events scheduled for the facility in May. Below is a look at Kansas 2023s to watch at the event.
[caption id="attachment_341539" align="alignleft" width="145"]<img class="wp-image-341539" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/Daphne-Bracker-Lawrence-2023-crop-680x447-1634488235-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="145" height="95" /> Lawrence 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="335963" first="Daphne" last="Bracker-Sturm"] with the mid-range jumper at the 2021 PGH Top 250 Expo, Kansas City. Photo: Robert Kelly.[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="335963" first="Daphne" last="Bracker-Sturm"], 6'3", Lawrence, KC [program_tooltip program_id='713364' first='Royalty' last='Basketball'] 2023, 2023 - At the 2021 PGH Top 250 Expo in Kansas City last fall PGH scout Phillipe McCree regarded her as one of true post players at the event. "<span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"PGH Top 250 Oct 2021 Kansas City - Great size but not very athletic. Solid mid-range jumper. Posts up but not real physical about it. Very hard to move. Average speed, not nearly quick enough to defend drives from quicker bigs like Hurd and Moree. But, once post the strong Hurd could not get around to stop her from scoring. Phillipe - Bracker was one of the true post at the Expo. She ran the floor and played hard. Offensively in the half-court, she does a good job of carving out space with her body. Did a good job of keeping the ball high when shooting and finishing around the basket."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":4611,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":16777215},"12":0,"15":"Verdana"}">She ran the floor and played hard. Offensively in the half-court, she does a good job of carving out space with her body. Did a good job of keeping the ball high when shooting and finishing around the basket.</span>" She was very hard to move and showed a solid mid-range jumper. What I am looking to see at the [program_tooltip program_id='716194' first='[program_tooltip program_id='716194' first='[program_tooltip program_id='714510' first='[program_tooltip program_id='713097' first='Dynasty' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] Region Finals is her athleticism, transition speed, physicality on both ends of the floor, and interior quickness.
[caption id="attachment_335583" align="alignright" width="146"]<img class="wp-image-335583" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/35-Lucy-Hardy.jpg" alt="" width="146" height="194" /> Lawrence 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="335960" first="Lucy" last="Hardy"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="335960" first="Lucy" last="Hardy"], 5'8", Lawrence, KC Royalty 2023, 2023 - Hardy earned honorable mention honors in the Sunflower League, the strongest 6A league in Kansas, this past season. Her activeness demands defenders pay attention to her at all times because she rebounds well, gets out in transition, and is always cutting; screening; and coming off screens in the half court. <span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"PGH Top 250 Oct 2021 Kansas City - Showed good quickness and bounce defending the ball on the perimeter. Phillipe - One of the first things that popped about Hardy was how active she was on both ends of the floor. Without the ball, she was always on the move coming off screens, making basket cuts or setting screens. Crashed the boards from the guard position and got out in front in transition."}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":4609,"3":{"1":0},"12":0,"15":"Verdana"}">
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[caption id="attachment_422864" align="alignleft" width="146"]<img class="wp-image-422864" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/05/2-Amani-Lipscomb.jpg" alt="" width="146" height="97" /> Maize South 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="231281" first="Amani" last="Lipscomb"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="231281" first="Amani" last="Lipscomb"], 5'2", PG, Maize South, Oklahoma Swift 2024 Mathurin, 2024 - Lipscomb earned honorable mention PGH Battle in the Big Friendly and is among the <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2022/05/the-wichita-areas-top-10-2024s/">Wichita</a> area's top ten players. After recovering last summer from a knee injury that caused her to miss her entire freshman year Lipscomb uncorked her complete game at the Kansas City Prep Girls Hoops Top 250 Expo last October. Scout Phillipe McCree said “<span data-sheets-value="{"1":2,"2":"Transferred from Andover at end of 2021. Rebounds and clears well. Can make entry passes with either hand. Strong handles. Able to create her own shot. PGH Top 250 Expo Oct 2021 Kansas City - Phillipe - At 5'2, Lipscomb was one of the smaller players at the Expo, but one of the biggest hearts. She has elite speed with the ball in her hands. A very good on the ball defender. As smaller guard, Lipscomb has a variety of finishes around the basket. 7.10.21 I-35 Showcase - Leads the break, distributes well off the drive and no-look. MAYB HOF Exposure 4.21 - Returning from injury. Playing well. Quick, aggressive after the ball. Very good release on three ball. No Boundares/MaxLab Training scrimmage (10.18.20) - Behind the back. Serious quicks. Must be a better shooter. Strong, quick defensive position. Sits in her chair well. MAYB Tournament (7/11/20) - Three from top of the key. Coach said she's one of the best 2024s in the Wichita area and will make Andover better. "}" data-sheets-userformat="{"2":4543,"3":{"1":0},"4":{"1":2,"2":16777215},"5":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"6":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"7":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"8":{"1":[{"1":2,"2":0,"5":{"1":2,"2":0}},{"1":0,"2":0,"3":3},{"1":1,"2":0,"4":1}]},"10":2,"11":0,"15":"Verdana"}">At 5'2, Lipscomb was one of the smaller players at the Expo, but one of the biggest hearts. She has elite speed with the ball in her hands. A very good on the ball defender. As smaller guard, Lipscomb has a variety of finishes around the basket.</span>” Lipscomb has strong handles, elite speed and quickness, and is a terrific on-ball and off-the-ball defender. She has developed consistency in her perimeter shot and makes great shot selection decisions. Among the things I enjoyed seeing at The Battle in the Big Friendly was how well she runs the break, makes solid entry passes with either hand; and clears the ball well off rebounds.
[player_tooltip player_id="298588" first="Makayla" last="McCLellan"], 5'2", PG, Sunrise Christian Academy, [program_tooltip program_id='712424' first='Kansas' last='Bluejays'] 2023, 2023 - Last summer scouts Jason Green and Shayla Smith both saw McClellan at the PGH [program_tooltip program_id='716194' first='[program_tooltip program_id='716194' first='[program_tooltip program_id='714510' first='[program_tooltip program_id='713097' first='Dynasty' last='']' last='']' last='']' last=''] Regional Finals. At that event she earned 16U honorable mention honors. Green said <span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style="font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Verdana';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;"> "She is just a baller, plain and simple." Both recognized her quickness, handles, hustle, and stroke. She has a quick pull up jumper and is a solid perimeter threat. I look forward to seeing again. </span>
[caption id="attachment_335625" align="alignright" width="145"]<img class="wp-image-335625" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/93-Aleah-Moree-254x300.jpg" alt="" width="145" height="171" /> Winfield 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="231273" first="Aleah" last="Moree"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.[/caption][player_tooltip player_id="231273" first="Aleah" last="Moree"], 6'2", C/PF, Winfield, Oklahoma Swift 2024 Mathurin, 2024 - A two-time Ark Valley Chisholm Trail League Div III first team selection, Moree also was selected by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association to the class 4A second team after earning honorable mention honors following her freshman year. In April, Moree earned honorable mention at the Battle in the Big Friendly. Last October, she also made the Kansas City <span data-sheets-formula-bar-text-style="font-size:13px;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;font-family:'Verdana';font-style:normal;text-decoration-skip-ink:none;">PGH Top 250 Expo All-Event Team. She is big, strong, athletic, and plays hard on both ends of the floor. She has good transition speed as well as solid overall quickness. Where she is improving, to the detriment of opponents, is transitioning consistency and in growing her post game repertoire. She is among the top ten players in the class for good reason. Her footwork and mobility is very good, she a terrific turnaround contested 10' jumper off the dribble, she looks to follow rebounds, and has solid fundamentals around the basket and skills around the basket. As my colleague Jason Green said about her last summer, ""They just don't make many players like Aleah." </span>
<strong>Stephie Solumu</strong>, 6'0", SF/PF, Sunrise Christian Academy, [program_tooltip program_id='712424' first='Kansas' last='Bluejays'] 2023, 2024 - PGH scouts Akiem Bailum and David Gardner both recently wrote about Solumu's play at the PGH Live Council Bluffs event this past weekend. They liked how well she used her body to set screens, gain interior position, rebound, and get big and challenge shots without fouling. Underrated offensively, they feel she absorbs contact well and finds her way to the free throw line.
<em>Featured image: Sunrise Christian Academy and [program_tooltip program_id='712424' first='Kansas' last='Bluejays'] 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="298588" first="Makayla" last="McCLellan"]. Photo: Prep Girls Hoops.
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