Top performers: End of the week roundup 1/30/23-2/4/2023
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The true stars begin to show themselves when the games become more important. The pressure of big games truly uncovers the ones ready to take the next step. With the season winding down, this sentiment rings loud. Let’s look at…
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Continue ReadingThe true stars begin to show themselves when the games become more important. The pressure of big games truly uncovers the ones ready to take the next step. With the season winding down, this sentiment rings loud. Let’s look at some of the standout performers from this week.
PVI played two games this week, going 1-1. They lost a hard-fought game to Bishop McNamara on Tuesday, then gave an absolute beatdown to Bishop O’Connell on Thursday. In both of those games, Louis Volker Louis Volker 6’0″ | SF Paul VI | 2023 State VA was fantastic. She was PVI’s primary source of offense against Bishop McNamara, using her touch and array of moves around the rim. Against Bishop O’Connell, she used her brilliant touch, but she had a lot of hard-earned buckets getting rebounds and steals in the backcourt leading to buckets.
Jamieson McIntyre
Jamieson McIntyre
Against PVI, Bishop O’Connell was behind the eight-ball before this game started dealing with many injuries. Because of their injury troubles, sophomore guard Jamieson McIntyre was asked to do much more. McIntyre was one of the smallest players on the court, but don’t let that fool you. She is fearless in getting to the rim. She draws fouls and finishes tough buckets over bigger defenders. She finished with a well-earned 17 and was very impressive.
Sophomore guard Nyla Brooks Nyla Brooks 6’2″ | SF Bishop Ireton | 2025 State VA missed a chunk of time this year, and she’s just getting back into the swing of things. This is why I was impressed with her performance this week. She didn’t shoot the ball well against Elizabeth Seton, but she still finished with 21 points. Brooks got to the line 14 times, making 11 of them, and this aggressiveness was why she was still impressive. Your shot isn’t always going to fall; finding ways to be effective as a scorer when it’s not is a tool not everyone has. It’s super impressive for anyone, let alone a high school sophomore.
Erin Woodson Erin Woodson 5’11” | SG Saint Gertrude HS | 2023 State VA is one of Virginia’s best scorers, and this week exemplified that. She put up 23 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals in an absolute thwarting of Collegiate on Tuesday. Then on Friday, she had 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals against Virginia Academy in an exciting game that ended in a loss. Woodson is an elite shooter, and her ability to get to the line is where she gets a large portion of her points. She has excellent range and is terrific off the ball as a cutter. Woodson is tenacious on defense and plays the game super hard overall. High rebound and steal numbers are usually good indicators of that, and she has both.
Virginia academy has one of the best offenses in Virginia, which is due to their fantastic backcourt play. One-half of their backcourt is Elena Bertrand Elena Bertrand 5’5″ | PG Virginia Academy | 2023 State VA . Bertrand is a great ball-handler and passer. She has an excellent in-between game using her floater to finish over bigs in the paint. She also has a nice pump fake when she gets into the lane, then uses a step-through to get a layup. Bertrand played a big part in Virginia Academy’s bludgeoning of Chelsea academy on Tuesday and their hard-fought victory over Saint Gertrude on Friday.
Highlights
The other half of the aforementioned stellar backcourt that Virginia Academy posses is Joi Williams Joi Williams 5’7″ | PG Virginia Academy | 2023 State VA . My favorite part of her game is how passionate she is. She wears her emotions on her sleeve and plays the game with a tenacity every coach loves. She is quick and direct in getting to the rim and has the ball on a string. Against Saint Gertrude, Williams hit a monumental three with about 2 minutes left to put VA academy up by 2. She hit a stepback over a defender with no hesitation. That shot spoke volumes about her supreme skill and confidence in her abilities. That mentality is huge, and it will take her places.