Players to Watch: Western Valley Conference

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The final conference we'll look at regarding conference previews is the Western Valley Conference. Westwood won the regular-season conference title, going undefeated in the conference season. However, the Rebels did lose the conference tournament to Ridge View in the conference tournament title game. Some of the best players in the conference last year were the sophomores, so this conference should be competitive again. Let's meet some of the returners.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='246154' first='Addy' last='Johnson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14987387/620d3513b53e520984b80746" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/14987387/620d3513b53e520984b80746">Addy's Sophomore Season Highlights</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 6-foot forward from Westwood led the Rebels with 18 points per game last season. Johnson was excellent on the low block and converted over half the shots she took from the field. However, I'm most impressed with how proficient the Rebel was from the free-throw line last season. Johnson shot over 77% from the free-throw line. That percentage makes her a challenge to slow down on the offensive end. It feels like if a team decides to foul her, it'll be death by a thousand cuts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kacy Miller</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The West Monona guard was the leading scorer on the third-place Spartans last season. Miller made plays happen on both ends of the floor. Her ability to make things happen bores out statistically for Miller last season. She scored 16 points per game and shot the ball well from all over the floor. The Spartan shot nearly 40% from the 3-point line last season and recorded 4.6 steals per game. Those numbers are absurd and indicate she's someone who knows how to end her team's possessions and her opponent's possessions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='362221' first='Madison' last='Stowater']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15155919/622be9b34bb2dc0b34841295" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15155919/622be9b34bb2dc0b34841295">Madison's Sophomore Season Highlights</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 5-foot-8 guard had an outstanding sophomore season on the offensive end. Stowater led her team in scoring and assists last season. With teams knowing Stowater was the focus of the Raptors' offense, she still managed to help guide her team to a Western Valley Conference Tournament title. She was efficient as a shooter and passer last year and gave herself a platform to continue to build her game. Even defensively, she managed to earn a couple of steals per game. I like kids who can handle the volume she does, along with staying efficient.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='127613' first='Jaeden' last='Ferris']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><a href="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13436154/6217de4490ef61154c20f168" data-type="URL" data-id="https://www.hudl.com/video/3/13436154/6217de4490ef61154c20f168">Jaeden's Junior Season Highlights</a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Westwood had two players average double-figures in scoring last year, Johnson was one, and Ferris was the other. What makes Ferris notable is her ability to be aggressive creating, and taking care of the ball. She averaged over 4.4 assists per game; while averaging less than a turnover per game. I'm not sure if that's a reporting error or authentic, but if it is, I'd love to see what she can do with the keys to the offense this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->