Queen of the Commonwealth: Day 1 Standouts (Part 2)
In this article:
Bullitt East is hosting one of the premier Christmas tournaments around. There are 16 teams participating and nearly every single one of those teams have found themselves in the rankings early on this season. The stage is big, but the…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingBullitt East is hosting one of the premier Christmas tournaments around. There are 16 teams participating and nearly every single one of those teams have found themselves in the rankings early on this season. The stage is big, but the players came to play. Here are some of the players that from the 2024 stood out to me on the opening day of the Queen of the Commonwealth tournament (part 3 will also have some 2024 players included).
I don’t know that I’ve seen a high school player with as high of a basketball IQ than Rowe. She knows how to read everything the defense does to make the right decisions. She also knows where her teammates are and what their strengthens are, so she sets them up beautifully. Rowe is a knockdown 3 point shooter and handles pressure like a pro. She can score at all 3 levels but she plays like a true point guard, so if she can create for her teammates, she will.
Steele was probably the best defender I saw in day 1. She was able to grab so many steals both on and off of the ball. However, she’s so good offensively as well. She can handle the ball and pressure so well. She makes great decisions and she can create scoring opportunities at all 3 levels. Steele is also extremely tough on the glass. Despite running the point, she can dominate on the boards through her effort and impressive leaping abilities.
Johnson’s rebounding is what drew me in immediately. She does a great job crashing the boards, mainly because of her effort. She came from the other side of the floor on multiple occasions to come up with the rebound. She also got into the passing lanes to come up with steals. Johnson showed how well she can handle the ball and score inside or out as well.
Highlights
Housley is a really, really good shooter. She can knock them down quickly and from deep range. She doesn’t need much space at all to get her shots off and if you jump out on her, she can drive right around you as she really is a threat at all 3 levels. Housley is tough and really stays poised under pressure.
Theiss had some really nice moves inside and she demonstrated her ability to switch up her moves to keep the defense guessing. She also was knocking down 3’s and jump shots. Theiss was hustling to get to the ball and really was tough as nails all throughout the game. She’s strong on the boards and showed a lot of strengthens.
Darcie Anderson
Darcie Anderson
Anderson’s scoring and passing abilities were on full display in a tough game against Owensboro Catholic. She finished some excellent floaters while also showing off her point guard skills. Anderson sees the floor and delivers some really great passes.
Drakeford was really the bright light for Mercer County. She’s an excellent floor general and her handles are strong. She can knock down outside shots or drive to the rim, and when her team needed to score, she was who they relied on. She made some great drives through traffic and was really impressive inside and out. Drakeford also crashed the boards well.