Region 3 Scorers on Fire to start part 1

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I was jotting through notes and came across <strong>Macie Whitfield- 5'9 G (Deer Park) </strong>exploding for 18 points recently yet the senior has helped lead her team to one of their best starts in my over 20 years of watching. I also caught junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='158882' first='Heather' last='Baymon']-5'6 SG (Langham Creek)</strong> via Livestream drop 6 three pointers, some from NBA range, on her way to 32 points. Here's the kicker, I don't go by POINTS, never have, never will because that can be deceiving and it falls into the "it's not what you do, it's who you do it against" category that continues to go over the heads of many, so I actually have to see players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have said time and time again I know players that averaged <strong><mark class="has-inline-color has-primary-color">30, 40, or even 50 ppg</mark></strong> in high school and panned out in college so numbers and stats can be misleading. Speaking of 30 ppg, another junior, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='158881' first='Saniya' last='Burks']-5'8 CG (Rice) </strong>is leading the state in scoring at 33 ppg, I have seen her countless times and she is ranked in the Top 50 in Texas on here, she can flat-out go but here are some of the other players I have<strong> PERSONALLY</strong> seen this season that are putting up numbers</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong> [player_tooltip player_id='307749' first='Nataliyah' last='Gray']-6'2 PF/C (Alief Taylor) 23.8 ppg [2025]</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gray has added even more to her impressive game. Yes, she scores almost at will in the paint, yet her relentlessness on the boards to go after the ball gets her #THROWBACK but what I enjoyed just as much was watching her not only play the passing lane but handle the ball in the open court, coast to coast, to only score but see the floor. Her mid to long-range was also impressive, as well as her defense, inside and outside the paint</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='270663' first='Shunteria' last='Anumele']- 5'9 SG ppg (Brookshire Royal) 23.2 [2024]</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anumele is one of the area's most explosive guards off the dribble. She's strong and attacks the basket powerfully yet her body control plays a big part in her finishes, many times after contact. She also can grab the rebound on the defensive end and score using the stop-and-pop jumper, from mid to long-range but watching her create her shot in the set and elevate over defenders is more than solid </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='270655' first='Melinda' last='Winston']-6'0 SF (Alief Hastings) 17'6 ppg [2024]</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Winston has shown progression each season I have watched her, since those early middle school days when she was used as basically a back-to-the-basket player that could rebound into a legitimate scoring threat. She understands how to set the defender up, her deceptive first step gets her to the basket where she scores with players literally hanging on her back, to dropping the outside shot consistently. Her range has also extended to BTA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='65935' first='Kameryn' last='Phillips']-5'8 SG (Shadow Creek) 14.4 ppg [2023]</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Phillips is one of the top players in her Texas class, again, numbers don't tell the whole story as she's a double-double waiting to happen. Yeah, she can attack and finish with either hand and yes, she can drop the jumper from just about anywhere on the court but her court vision and unselfishness helps "make those around her better" which is something you can't teach. As I stated, she rebounds, on both ends and her defense "on the ball" is smothering </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->