2023 State Tournament: Point Guards With A Purpose

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the state tournament this past week I saw a lot of great point guards that guided their teams in both victory and defeat. Below I'm going to highlight some of the point guards who impressed me the most on the floor with their ability to control their teams and more importantly, the overall game they were competing in. Enjoy!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["311394"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='311394' first='Alyssa' last='Bartlett'] and Southeast Polk got the unfortunate task of facing Johnston in round 1, leading to a loss but in that loss Bartlett and [player_tooltip player_id='63020' first='Brooklin' last='Dailey'] really commanded everything that was going on for the Rams. Bartlett works really hard, all the time. She dives for loose balls, gets defections/tips that create turnover opportunities for her teammates, and on the offensive end she runs the offense. She does a good job of setting things up and making sure everyone is doing what they should be. She also plays aggressively going toward the hoop, trying to get her defender or a help defender in a sticky situation. Against Johnston she stayed attacking the defense every chance she could , even if she wasn't necessarily successful the prior possession. She was one of the hardest workers I saw on the floor this week. Looking forward this team loses a lot of production from this roster going into the fall but looking into who they have returning, they should be in ok shape. Bartlett will be at the PG position again and I imagine the first offensive option for this group next winter. I'll be keeping an eye out to see what she can step-in and produce from this role.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["311385"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='311385' first='Reagan' last='Pagniano'] is the starting point guard for the Pleasant Valley Spartans. Correction, now she is the starting point guard of the 5A state champion Pleasant Valley Spartans and she played like it all week long. When this season first tipped off most of the hype around them was about the Vice sisters, Halle and Quinn, and how productive they could be this season. Little did we know that the Spartans had a few u0022secretu0022 weapons up their sleeves,  one being in the form of [player_tooltip player_id='311385' first='Reagan' last='Pagniano']. Pagniano is a fast guard with a solid jump shot when her defender goes under a screen. She did a fantastic job of handling pressure while limiting her turnovers, distributed the ball to the right teammates in the right moments, and was an ice-cold killer in the fourth quarter for her team. Going 4/4 from the free throw line in the last 2 minutes to help her school secure the state title. Being there first hand, this was a special game for Reagan, a game I think her and her teammates will always remember. Most importantly this week I think she really showed everyone there that size doesn't matter. She stands as one of the smaller starting PG's in this tournament and she showed everyone that stuff like that doesn't matter. If you work hard, dedicate yourself, and love this game then you can accomplish anything you set out to do.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["314149"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='314149' first='Jadyn' last='Petersen'] and Dike-New Hartford won the 2A state title on Saturday evening, capping off a successful season for the Wolverines at 25-1. A big reason for this win was the Petersen sisters. Without these two then this team and program isn't what it is or where it is today. Payton plays the forward position as she is taller while Jadyn runs the shooting guard/point position for this group. During the entirety of the week Jadyn consistently showed that she was one of the best players on the floor between both teams. She really is a hard worker and it showed on offense. For the most part throughout the week she got a lot of her looks at the hoop off of cuts going to the rim or and grabbing an offensive rebound with a put-back. Her rebounding ability stands out when watching her game. Ironically she is the shorter of the two sisters but plays just as big when it comes to her game style. In the semi-finals matchup Jadyn recorded a triple/double to advance her team to face Central Lyon, who they would eventually beat by 15 to become the champs. This group will have the Petersen sisters returning for one more season next year along with some other key pieces but they will lose some big-production players, so they will need some others to really step up if they want to come back to the Well to defend this year's title.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["246111"],"_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":"I mentioned [player_tooltip player_id='246111' first='Brooklyn' last='Stanley'] in an article earlier this week about how well she played in her state tournament but when doing an article on the best point guard's I saw this week, Stanley must be included once again. She is a bucket. She has an efficient handle, a lot of skill moves, and the ability to score from all three levels on the floor, all through she specialized in getting to the rim this past week. If we are talking about the best point guard's I saw in their ability to create their own separation and get a great look at the hoop, Stanley is top 2 and she may not be #2. It'd be a tough debate between her game-play and [player_tooltip player_id='246101' first='Aaliyah' last='Riley']'s of the Johnston Dragons. I'm excited to see her play this AAU season and where she ends up committing to within the next year, whoever is getting her is receiving a great player and an even better point guard.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["311396"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='311396' first='Ava' last='Zediker'] has been the offensive threat that the Dowling Catholic Maroons have relied on all season long to make it into the state playoff's, a strategy that was extremely successful up until they had to face Pleasant Valley in the semi-finals this past week. Zediker did her thing though. In their first round game they faced off against Davenport North where they ended up winning by a final of 52-38, while Zediker poured in 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists. In their semi-final game they lost in a low-scoring battle 50-33, Zediker had 10 points and 4 rebounds. She stood out as one of the best pace and game leaders I saw this past week. Thats to no surprise though as I have her currently ranked as the #1 point guard in the 2025 class going into the summer. Heading into AAU sessions her stock is only going to rise, I think this high school season really just re-assured everyone who knew about Ava before that she is going to be an awesome get for a high level, D1 program in the future.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-640508f543b6f"} /-->