All "A" 6th Region Champions - Portland Christian Lady Eagles

The gym was packed at Portland Christian School and full of rowdy Eagles fans, in part because both teams playing the 6th Region Finals were Eagles. The Shawnee Golden Eagles were playing the Lady Eagles of Portland Christian for what has to be over the millionth time for two schools that used to be located relatively close to one another before necessity forced a move to a new campus across town for the Lady Eagles. I got there a little late from practice after telling Coach Jaso Bragg less than a week before that I would not be able to make it due to my practice schedule only to discover that morning I had either read the bracket incorrectly or I was wrong about my practice schedule. For me, this is now the second time in two years I have attended a game there where something historic has occurred for the Portland Christian team. Last year, it was the program's 1st ever win against Presentation and this time it was to see them qualify for their 1st All "A" Classic, You know how to request my lucky presence when needed Coach. If I can make it, you got it. As pleased as I am to see any team make it into the All "A", for this team to make it this year was important for the balance of the universe. Last season they were denied their shot to play in the Championship game due to COVID. There is no guarantee the Lady Eagles would have won that game, and a deserving team still advanced to the All "A", but to miss out on your chance to settle it on the court like that is just awful. So excuse me on January 25th if I show a little bit of favor towards a team that finally got their reward, perhaps deferred by a whole year.     [player_tooltip player_id='164405' first='Ellie' last='Heid'] - CG - Portland Christian - 2023   Heid is possibly going to be the most prolific scorer at this season's All "A" Classic being roughly 200 points shy of scoring her 3,000th point in KHSAA Basketball. She will be somewhere on the Commonwealth's Top 50 Scorers list by then, a list she is currently not on because the Lady Eagles have not yet played their 12th game (the list has a minimum requirement of 12 games). Take a look at this stat-line before you consider missing the 1130 am game. 21.6 points, 3.9 rebounds. 55% field goals, 30.3% three-pointers, and 61.2% free throws and that is just the stats the KHSAA tracks, the steals and assists I cannot share with you (or access them for myself). Bring your popcorn and be in your seats early because this player could be the one to put on a show much like the one Allie Stone did last season in the All "A". I joked earlier this season that I have seen her perform every offensive move in basketball except the Dunk, but I just realized she has not yet displayed Jabbar's Skyhook either. So if you throw out those 2, you could be in for a clinic of every possible way to score the ball in any given game she is in. Especially bring your young daughters if you know they want to play but are not going to be very tall. But Heid is more than a scoring machine. She had 9 rebounds in the 6th Region Finals. When she is surrounded by other finishers she is a dime-dropping Point Guard with a fearless approach to the game. She may be little but she is mighty and as someone who first saw her play when she was in the 6th or 7th grade I know I will miss her when she moves on to the next level. I know there will still be many other talented players to cover, but it isn't every day you get to watch an [player_tooltip player_id='164405' first='Ellie' last='Heid'].   Committed to Asbury University.     [player_tooltip player_id='164401' first='Kaela' last='Ballard'] - SG - Portland Christian - 2023   I was behind on scrolling through Twitter a few days ago and saw that Ballard had reopened her recruiting for a reason I could not determine and before I got caught up later that day I saw that she had received an offer from Alice Lloyd College. It is no surprise as to why she will play at the next level. A 6-foot-tall Guard is hard to find. That is extra rare when you are looking for one with a stat-line like this: 19.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 55% field goals, 30.2% three-pointers, and 63.5% free throws.   And this is before you see her run the floor or handle the ball. She outran a very fast Shawnee team on numerous occasions to score runout layups against their tough full-court defensive pressure. She drove into the lane to draw the defense and create scoring opportunities for her teammates to make layups and short jumpers. She was especially prolific in the 2nd Half, which the Lady Eagles had to play without 3 starters who were injured and missed the entire 4th Quarte and most of the 3rd. It is the best I have ever seen her play as a ballhandler. I have seen her score in more impressive ways and let's not fail to mention that she had 20 points in this game I am talking about and saying I have seen her be more impressive as a scorer previously.   If I haven't sold you on seeing the 1130 am game before now think about what I just said. This is the second player on the same team averaging right around 20 points per game and I have seen this player. Ballard, be more impressive as a scorer than she was in a game where she had 20 points. WOW. They will face a tough opponent no matter who comes out of the 12th Region but expect to see a good one at 1130 am for sure.     [player_tooltip player_id='555981' first='Piper' last='Scott'] - PG - Portland Christian - 2025   Scott is an excellent ballhandler that had to leave the game due to a play where she appeared to hit the back of her head on the floor and did not return likely due to concussion protocols. She scored 5 points before the injury. On the season she is contributing 9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and making 33.3% of her three-point shots. She will also distribute the ball and drop a few dime assists.     [player_tooltip player_id='555980' first='Addie' last='Bragg'] - SF - Portland Christian - 2025   Bragg was injured on the same play Scott was. Someone near me in the crowd suggested it was a cramp, I'm not so sure and I'm not a Doctor, so what do I know? But it didn't appear serious enough to keep her out of the All "A" Classic. And that is very important for the Lady Eagle because Bragg is their version of a Denis Rodman when it comes to retrieving the basketball after a shot is missed. I'm talking about REBOUNDING and DEFENSE, On a team that rebounds well across the board, Bragg excels at it. She already had 10 rebounds against a physical Shawnee team before missing maybe 40% of the game. For the season she is averaging 8.1 rebounds per game and it isn't as if any of her teammates are slacking off leaving extra board laying around for her to pick up. She is just one of those Rodman types, without all of the hair dye etc.     Ruby Heid - F - Portland Christian - 2023   Heid was the starter that I am most concerned about, injury-wise. I'm really hoping that for her sake that what may have been a torn meniscus (as she told me after the game) turns out to just be a scary moment of pain that will not affect her going forward. She lost her Junior year to an injury to her other knee and this would be a terrible development for her to lose the rest of her Senior year as well.   For the team her defense and play in the post. She is one of those glue players needed to make the team hold together. Before injury she had 3 points and 4 rebounds and was averaging 5.5 rebounds a game as an undersized player in the paint. I'm sure she will know her diagnosis before this post goes up. But my thoughts and prayers are with her right now.     Reagan Mulvey - C - Portland Christian - 2024   Mulvey is perhaps the "6th Man" on this roster and the best traditional post player with good size and the ability to score with her back to the basket. She scored with a quick inside turn low post move and a short jumper from the mid-post. She also scored a layup on a runout and made a very important rebound putback in the final minutes to help seal the victory. She finished the game with 10 points and 5 rebounds. On the season she is averaging 6.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and making 50.9% of her field goals. Raya Heid - F - Portland Christian - 2025   Heid made an impact off the bench after the injuries almost right away with a turnaround 8-foot jumper in the paint and made another jumper down the stretch, a 7-footer in the mid-post. But she put forth a heroic effort on the glass by collecting 8 crucial rebounds battling a strong and athletic frontline of Shawnee.     Ava Gish - G - Portland Christian - 2026   Gish also rose to the occasion, like Mulvey and Raya Heid, while playing more minutes than most reserves normally would without anyone left in the primary rotation to bring in to give them a break. Coach Bragg has to be satisfied with what his depth was able to bring to the court when called on in a tight spot of an important game. Gish made an important 4th Quarter three, scored on a runout layup, protected the ball, and made at least 1 assist from the wing to a teammate for a layup. Her season averages currently stand at 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 40% shooting from three-point range making 10 of 25 attempts

The gym was packed at Portland Christian School and full of rowdy Eagles fans, in part because both teams playing the 6th Region Finals were Eagles. The Shawnee Golden Eagles were playing the Lady Eagles of Portland Christian for what has to be over the millionth time for two schools that used to be located relatively close to one another before necessity forced a move to a new campus across town for the Lady Eagles.
I got there a little late from practice after telling Coach Jaso Bragg less than a week before that I would not be able to make it due to my practice schedule only to discover that morning I had either read the bracket incorrectly or I was wrong about my practice schedule. For me, this is now the second time in two years I have attended a game there where something historic has occurred for the Portland Christian team. Last year, it was the program's 1st ever win against Presentation and this time it was to see them qualify for their 1st All "A" Classic, You know how to request my lucky presence when needed Coach. If I can make it, you got it.
As pleased as I am to see any team make it into the All "A", for this team to make it this year was important for the balance of the universe. Last season they were denied their shot to play in the Championship game due to COVID. There is no guarantee the Lady Eagles would have won that game, and a deserving team still advanced to the All "A", but to miss out on your chance to settle it on the court like that is just awful. So excuse me on January 25th if I show a little bit of favor towards a team that finally got their reward, perhaps deferred by a whole year.