Raatz Fence/O’Shea’s Basketball Classic: Friday Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2023 Raatz Fence/O'Shea's Basketball Classic at Mercy Academy was full of talented players and teams. It featured a top 15 national matchup, as well as many games between some of the top teams in Kentucky. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it out there for the entire day Saturday, but I did catch a lot of top matchups across the 2 day span. Here's what I saw in the games on Friday night, including the players that really stood out to me.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Bullitt East 72 vs Lakeway Christian 70</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the closest games I saw, Bullitt East fought back from a 16-point first half deficit to beat a Lakeway Christian squad that was a little short-handed due to injuries. Both teams had multiple players finish in double figures, but Lakeway Christian's [player_tooltip player_id='372802' first='Kami' last='Wilson'] led all scorers with 23 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["372802"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Wilson is a very crafty player. The lefty was getting creative on her drives and she had some really tough finishes around the basket. She's got solid ball handling skills and she was creating a lot for her teammates. Wilson finished the game with a double-double, 23 points and 11 rebounds.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["398021"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Rodgers was huge in the Chargers comeback. For starters, she went 5/10 from the 3-point line. However, she can hurt teams in so many different ways. She can knock down shots, score in the mid-range, or get to the rim. She's long and has active hands. Rodgers filled up the stat sheet Friday night and finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and 2 blocks.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["199613"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Reid runs the point for the Chargers and she was really facilitating well as her team made their run. She was creating great looks for her teammates and finished the game with 8 assists. Reid also added 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["245375"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Linx was lighting it up from deep as she went 4/6 (66.7%) from 3. She has great form on her shot and a quick release that allows her to get shots off without much space. Linx also showed an ability to create good looks for herself off of the dribble, including knocking down some step-back 3-pointers. She finished the game with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63d0289f1e316"} /--> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Incarnate Word 77 vs Mercy Academy 65</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the best teams in Kentucky fell short against the top team in Missouri, but the Jaguars showed a ton of fight as they were very undersized in this match-up. Mercy's [player_tooltip player_id='254279' first='Leah' last='Macy'] led all scorers with 30 points. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["254279"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Macy was doing it all on Friday night, much like she has been all season long. Her efficiency is always so impressive, but even more so when you consider the competition she was facing. She was playing against a top 15 team nationally that had a ton of height. Yet, Macy went 9/12 overall, 1/2 from 3, and 11/12 from the free throw line. She finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block. She used her strength to power through down low and her high basketball IQ to make plays for her teammates. She showed why she is a nationally ranked talent herself.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["107016"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Potts also finished the game with a big double-double, 18 points and 14 rebounds. She is so long and she finishes so well around the basket. She stays with plays and can make a lot happen on the offensive boards. Potts had great moves that allowed her to elevate over defenders to get her shot off. She also added 5 assists and a steal as she helped her team seal the win.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["302784"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Hill is everything you would want in your point guard. She's quick, she's strong, she has great handles, she sees the floor, and she makes plays. She can score herself or make plays for her teammates. She didn't force shots that weren't there and she has great handles that don't allow pressure to effect her game. Hill finished with 16 points, 2 assists, and a rebound.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["295768"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Another excellent floor general, Murphy has really been showing how much value she brings to the floor. She can score on outside shots, floaters, layups, jump shots, etc. She can handle the ball, she makes great passes, and she's a solid defender. Murphy is a competitor in every sense of the word. She finished the game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63d0289f1e468"} /-->