Athletes Who Win Their Team Games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some players can win and lose teams' games depending on their decisions, plays they make on either end of the floor, or anything else they do on the floor that can swing a game in their team's favor. I want to talk about some kids who can alter a game with their defensive prowess or ability to make winning plays.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='489577' first='Ella' last='Koch']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Whitnall embodies results over aesthetics, and Koch fits that mold to a tee. Her shot may not be the prettiest, but she's a kid who her coach couldn't take off the floor late in close games. Koch defends like a maniac, outrebounds taller kids, and has an edge to her game that helps her be the hustle player that the Falcons need on the court. There won't be many outside the Whitnall program that'll talk about her, but what she does wins games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='337022' first='Natalie' last='Meaux']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard not to appreciate what Meaux can do on both ends of the floor. The senior has a way of figuring things out on the fly and being a thorn in the defense's side. She's a high-level shooter who punishes teams for giving her space, with the toughness and edge to attack the rim and seek out contact. Defensively, she may be the most athletic lead guard you'll see, but she took away space from ball handlers, created turnovers, and crashed the defensive glass for rebounds. There were times when I watched her Lakers team when she was the best rebounder on the floor when multiple Power-Five kids were on the floor.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='471480' first='Sarah' last='Helm']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I thought Helm had an excellent summer and fit the mold of what CBA guards have been the last few AAU seasons. The Cedarburg guard is tough, flies around the court defensively, attacks the basket, and is an all-around scrappy player. No matter when I watched her play, she played with energy and made plays on the defensive end. I would not be surprised to see her breakout this season with the Bulldogs and continue building off what she did this past summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533058' first='Samantha' last='Davis']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Starring in your role is crucial, and if you don't believe me, look at what Sammy Davis did in her first season at Aquinas. Davis was never a focal point of Aquinas' offense, but she was everywhere for a Blugolds team that was runner-up in D4. Her buy-in to what coach Donarski needed from her, and Davis did it at a high level. Davis put pressure on the ball high up the floor in their press, rebounded on both ends, ran the floor, and played like the best athlete on the court, which she usually was. Davis is another standout 2026 who could break out in a significant way this season.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->