Defensive Stoppers: Continued – Matt’s Upper Echelon of Defenders
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The game of basketball has continued to evolve and expand, especially within the last decade — The physicality has declined, The pace has never been faster. Teams and players like to run up and down the court, shoot as quickly…
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Continue ReadingThe game of basketball has continued to evolve and expand, especially within the last decade — The physicality has declined, The pace has never been faster. Teams and players like to run up and down the court, shoot as quickly and shoot as far as possible. Teams and players have also never been more versatile — The latter is what drives teams to have the best chance of competing and winning.
Now, the game has become less physical, no doubt. That has resulted in the increase of teams scoring more points; The lack of aggression on defense, benefits the offensive player(s), by allowing them to have clearer shots, and or more opportunities to score.
Adding to that, players and teams have to now expand their defense further out to prevent the opposition from “raining down 3s.” Players have continued to deepen their range and will shoot multiple attempts from 25 plus feet. With all that said, let’s take a look at and breakdown some versatile players who have proven that they can get the job done on the defense end, even with the circumstances mentioned above.
Highlights
Ariana Sanchez Ariana Sanchez 5'10" | CG Albuquerque | 2023 State NM is a Combo Guard from Albuquerque High that does a multitude of things that contributes to winning basketball. Defensively, Sanchez is one of the taller guards in the State, which favors her in terms of how she matches up versus smaller guards. Ariana does a good job of using her size and strength to dictate where she wants the offensive player to go, rather than her chasing after the opposition or surrendering position. She finds herself coming off an impressive Junior season, appearing in 26 games, having recorded 47 steals and 37 blocked shots. Splits of 1.8 SPG & 1.4 BPG, that solidify Ariana being amongst the best defenders in the State. Sanchez enters her Senior year as one of the better collegiate prospects — having recently been offered by Eastern New Mexico University — She will look to help the Bulldogs defend their District 5A Title and go further into the State playoffs while continuing to sharpen her craft for the next level.
Catalina Anaya Catalina Anaya 5'5" | PG St, Pius X | 2025 State NM is a hardworking Point Guard that will stand toe to toe with bigger opposing guards and will put the “clamps” on them – Catalina is small in stature but pound for pound, she is one of the more physical defenders in the State. Last season, Anaya had the “Sixth-Man” role for the Lady Sartans of St. Pius. When she checked into ball games, Catalina immediately raised the defensive intensity by getting into her opponents airspace and suffocating them! She is a terrific on ball defender; Has excellent stamina and cardio, has good instincts and the ability to be a consistent menace each and every possession!
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Eva Love Eva Love 5'9" | SG La Cueva | 2024 State NM is a well rounded shooting guard that can guard multiple positions on the defensive end of the floor thanks to her size, and desire to compete. The mentality that Love plays with is perfect for the La Cueva Bears program, who likes to put the pressure on opposing ball clubs by committing to man-to-man lockdown defense. Last year under Head coach Marisa Cogan, the Bears displayed outstanding team defense with the backcourt shining in particular. With Eva and recently graduated Senior, R. Ottoman combining for nearly seven steals a contest! Love herself, had 84 steals in 27 games played during the season, a 3.1 spg average. Showing Eva is an outstanding two-way player, a primary reason why she now enters her Junior Season, as the Top Ranked Overall player in her Class (2024).
Evann Segura Evann Segura 5'10" | PF Moriarty | 2023 State NM from Moriarty, is a versatile Forward who was an All State 2nd Team Selection in 4A for the 21-22 Season. An award rightfully deserved due to Evann’s ability to impact the game on both ends of the Floor. Evann is for sure, one of the better scoring options in the State at the Froward position; She can score inside/out. On the flip side, Evann happens to also be one of the better inside/out defenders amongst frontcourt players. Segura can get a stop down low and in the paint area but also out on the perimeter. She appeared in 25 games for the Lady Pintos, putting up season totals of 26 steals and 42 blocked shots – Resulting in Evann being one of seven players in the State to average one per game in both of those categories.
Zarai Lewis Zarai Lewis 5'7" | SG Clovis | 2024 State NM is a multifaceted shooting guard from Clovis that enters the 22-23 Season as an upperclassmen, and in elite company. Last season, as a Sophomore, Lewis appeared in 29 games, recording 30 blocked shots resulting in her being one of only four guards to average at least one block per game, minimum 10 games played, in the State of New Mexico. Zarai also had 47 steals on the season, an average of 1.6 spg, further proving her two-way excellence as a player. Lewis can go get the wildcats a bucket on the offensive end, then turn around, go down court, and get a stop with ease.
* This list of players, finishes out the Upper Echelon of Defenders by Matt- 10 in Total * ICYMI: Here is the first half of the list https://prepgirlshoops.com/2022/09/defensive-stoppers-matts-upper-echelon-of-defenders/