Early Multi-Regional Contests Display Off The Chart Performances

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In back-to-back days last week, I witnessed outstanding court performances by a handful of student/athletes. These early season multi-regional games displayed some very competitive matches and very talented players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Friday's match-up was a clash with 5A Little Rock Christian Academy hosting 6A Jonesboro High School. This was a very competitive battle with Little Rock coming out on top 56-50. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Whitley</strong> <strong>Rogers 5'9" Freshman Point Guard</strong>, pictured above, was the best player on the court for Little Rock Christian. She's a do-it-all performer that is not only the best freshman in the state but one of the top point guards in all classes. She displays a maturity that is unprecedented for a freshman. Whitley is strong in all facets of the game and has an unbelievable ceiling. She's just a pleasure to watch. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442424' first='Mia' last='Smith'] 5'6" Senior Swing Guard</strong> compliments Rogers in that Mia takes the double team away. She can attack the rim or dish it off to a teammate. Mia will not put up big numbers on the score sheet but her team contribution is to draw away the defense so her teammates can score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jonesboro is very athletic and very young. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='465511' first='Allannah' last='Orsby'] 5'10" Sophomore Swing Guard</strong> is an outstanding talent. She has unbelievable length along with her size. Allannah usually plays facing the basket but will occasionally go inside to get a board. She's very quick and can elevate her game by getting stronger. Look for her name to appear in many publications in the next few years. <strong>Eljanae Daniels 5'5" Sophomore Swing Guard</strong> is another very athletic player for the Hurricane. Eljanae is much more of a physical player. Offensively she gets out on the break quickly and her athletic ability allows her to make adjustments on the defensive end to create turnovers. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='442373' first='Bramyia' last='Johnson'] 5'7" Senior Swing Guard </strong>is the leader of the team. She touches the ball on every possession and her skill set is top-notch. She gets to the glass and attacks the rim. Her high basketball IQ will lead Jonesboro to a strong post-season finish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Thursday 3A-Region 1 Flippin High School traveled to play the 1A East Kingston Yellowjackets. Kingston prevailed 57-49. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yellowjackets were led by <strong>Junior Swing Guard</strong> <strong>Lila Hartness. </strong>Lila led the team in scoring and rebounding as she has throughout the entire year. She has excellent anticipation skills. At 5'7" she can play any of the guard spots or will post up in the paint if necessary. The ball is always in her hands at crunch time. Look for Lila to lead Kingston to a postseason bid. Alongside Lila is <strong>Swing Guard</strong> <strong>Rilee Pittman 5'6" Junior</strong>, and <strong>Jaidyn Head, 5'1" Senior Point Guard. </strong>Rilee has excellent footwork and can get you a rebound or pick up a charge at critical times during the game. She always seems to be around the ball. Rilee needs to work on her weak hand, but all in all, is solid off the bench. Jaiden is very quick with either hand and is very efficient at the point guard position. She's difficult to guard because of her speed and quickness.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Flippin was led by <strong>Junior Forward Ally Hodges</strong>. Ally is a rebounding machine. At 5'10" she plays predominately in the paint posting up for high-percentage shots. However, she will periodically take a three at the arc if the defense allows. <strong>Samantha Greenhaw, a 5'11" Senior Forward</strong> complements Ally in the lane. Samantha can also play facing the basket creating a mismatch by shooting over the defense. <strong>Point Guard Jayden Spoon 5'4" Senior</strong> keeps the offense on track and dishes the ball to her bigs. Jayden is an excellent defender and usually gets the tough assignment on the defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>District play will soon take over the spotlight for all of these teams but the early season scheduling of these multi-region match-ups will strengthen each team for the long haul.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bobby Brown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->