Jim’s Takeaways 2/11 games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Had the chance to see four games Saturday at Tecumseh for the D2 Dayton sectionals and here are five takeaways I have from what I saw.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>2026 to Watch</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You know us here at Prep Girls Hoops take pride in covering many athletes including the younger prospects. The 2026 players who I have seen so far in the postseason have displayed a lot of promise for the talent in Ohio. [player_tooltip player_id='538309' first='Rivers' last='Lemke'] from Valley View is a newcomer who is a guard who continues to get better. She plays with poise and has a good skillset as she made a difference with a successful season for the Spartans. We have written about [player_tooltip player_id='538750' first='Alex' last='Dixon'] from Urbana who played today and helped her team win their opening tournament game. She is skilled on both ends of the court. She can light you up from the perimeter or slash to the rim. Smart with a high IQ. Evie Connor was a 6' 2026 from Dayton Oakwood who I saw for the first time. Good length, can run the floor. She can finish through contact and has good moves at the rim. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>The Matchup</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Opening game of the day it was a pair of players who came into the season being heavily counted on for the success of their teams. [player_tooltip player_id='216007' first='Riley' last='Hodson'] is a 2023 from Valley View who is a very good rebounder and excellent defender with length. Riley can also score from the perimeter and showed very good leadership. Her career came to an end as one of the top rebounders in the league, the top shot blocker and top three in steals. [player_tooltip player_id='319068' first='Peyton' last='Mounce'] took over for Urbana in the fourth quarter as the 2025 hit 10-10 free throws in the game including several late to secure the win over Valley View. She is #10 in the latest rankings and is such a force in the game both offensively and defensively. She continues to draw a lot of attention from those in the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>Keep An Eye On Them!</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ella Fergusson is a 5-7 2024 Valley View guard who is able to get to her open spot, and showed the ability to penetrate and score. Solid around the basket and will get to the line. Look for her to be one of the top leaders next season with the loss of some key seniors. Two players from Oakwood who I was really impressed with yesterday were 2024 Emma Neff and 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='533111' first='Ashley' last='Bowden']. Both contributed big on the offensive end, Neff has a great outside shot and can hit consistently from the midrange. She is a quiet player, she dropped 25 and they came in the flow of the offense. Really impressed with the improvement of Bowden. Her game has really grown since I saw her last. She can still knock down the three ball, but has added a lot more to her game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"medium"} --> <p class="has-medium-font-size"><strong>No more doubters</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If anyone has any more doubts on the skill level of [player_tooltip player_id='218359' first='Zhieyah' last='Rolack'] (<em>feature photo above),</em> a 6-foot 2024 from Meadowdale, it was left in the gym after her performance in the sectional tournament. Sure, Rolack scored 45 points in her teams loss to Oakwood. But she showed such versatility in her game. She can score at the rim, step out to midrange, score with defense on her from the three. It was the best individual performance I have seen in quite a while. Didn't matter who defended her, she scored at will. Such a fun player to watch. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->