Players to Watch: River Valley-South

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a quick preview of the River Valley-North, we look to the River Valley-South. Last season, Regina Catholic won the conference with a 17-2 conference record and made a trip to the Wells Fargo Center, where they lost the state quarterfinal to Panorama. That said, let's look at a few returners this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='311373' first='August' last='Palmer']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["311373"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The now sophomore at West Branch returns this season as the leading returning scorer in the conference. The 5-foot-10 wing has a smooth game and plays pragmatically. She doesn't force anything. Palmer takes what the defense gives her and runs with it. The Bear has a ton of poise with the ball in her hands, especially when she's in a pick-and-roll. I love her patience as the ball handler in P&amp;R action. She doesn't attack it at 100 miles per hour. She reacts to what the defense is doing to defend it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='127615' first='Finley' last='Hall']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["127615"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a runner-up finish in the conference and their leading scorer graduating, the Comets will look different this year. Hall is the lead returning scorer for a West Liberty team that went 16-3 in conference play a year ago. Like many talented small school kids, Hall is an excellent rebounder for her position, and it helps her team change defense into offense in a hurry. If the Comets continue their success this season, it will likely be down to Hall's season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='63024' first='Grace' last='Gaarde']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["63024"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5-foot-3 left-handed point guard led her team in scoring, a conference title, and a state tournament appearance last season. The Regina Catholic senior did an excellent job setting her teammates up to score last season. Gaarde recorded over five assists per game and had a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a junior. The Regal will take care of the ball, give her teammates opportunities to score, and compete again in her senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Isabelle DeLong</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5-foot-9 wing finished in the top-10 in scoring in the conference last season. The Durant junior scored over 12 points per game for a team that finished near the bottom of the River Valley-South. The then-sophomore was consistent in her performances. It's not easy to consistently excel when teams walk into the gym, keying on you, and DeLong helped her team win five conference games a season ago, which isn't a bad result by any means. This season, DeLong will continue to do what she does best and find ways to score the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","mode":"preview"} /-->