Standouts from GW Fall League – Huntington players vs. GW

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>CHARLESTON - Rain may have doused everyone who ran for cover Sunday in the George Washington High School parking lot. Yet, the droplets didn't dampen the competitive spirit inside the school's main and auxiliary gyms. Teams from all over the Kanawha Valley answered GW head coach Jamie LaMaster's call with fervor. Here are standouts from the opening game of action between GW and a mix of players from several Huntington schools: </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379527' first='Zaniah' last='Zellous'], George Washington, PF, 6-2, Jr.</strong><em> </em>- Zellous continued to show improvements in her game over the summer. She's still improving in the fall, as well. Sunday, inside the main gym, she showed once again how she's constantly improving her game. I arrived at GW early and watched as she worked on her three-point shot. She's getting more accurate and comfortable shooting around the arc. Then, the game action started and her post play looked as good as ever. She continues to get stronger and more assertive in her first step, thus putting her opponent on the defensive much sooner. Don't be surprised if she ends up on her first all-state first team after this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='718028' first='Jeriyah' last='Pryor'], George Washington, PG, 5-6, Fr.</strong> - Pryor and her partner in crime Reyana Breckenridge received limits chances to really show what they could do this past summer while on a W.Va. Thunder team. It isn't their fault, of course. The talent level on that team sits above many other groups. So, how did she look when she got a chance to spread those wings? Great. Beyond great. Pryor brings a true point guard to the position, something GW hasn't had since Vivian Ho's departure. She simply excelled in the Patriots' opener. Tasked with bringing the ball up the court and taking the occasional shot, she successfully completed her missions. Over, and over, and over, again. The biggest thing that finally stood out to me is her confidence and the smoothness of her game. Everything she did came off as deliberate. I really can't wait to see her try her hand against Class AAAA opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='391470' first='Josie' last='Graves'], Cabell Midland, PF, 6-0, Sr.</strong> - Graves didn't shy away from her battle with [player_tooltip player_id='379527' first='Zaniah' last='Zellous']. In fact, she embraced the opportunity. Fully. Pitted against one of the top post players in the state, Graves simply took the battle to Zellous. She matched Zellous' physical play all afternoon. Bodies collided as Graves used her footwork and body to keep Zellous off the boards and away from the basket, sometimes. Did she completely shut down Zellous? No. But, she did a darn good job of guarding her in the paint and on the block. Another aspect of Graves' game leaving me impressed was her intelligence and off the ball IQ. She was always moving around in ways to find the basket or to make something happen for her teammates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='570279' first='Ava' last='Gallion'], Huntington St. Joe, CG, 5-4, So. </strong>- Gaillon looks like a completely different ball player now we are four months post-injury. The biggest thing I saw in her? Her confidence. She exudes comfort and determination in all her moves. She has no problem splitting defenders or driving into the lane and finishing around the rim. Her most impressive move of the afternoon? While she drove to the basket and with Zellous baring down on her, she simply went around the power forward and finished with an up and under move. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->