NE Top 250-Expo: Team 4 Evaluations

The PGH Nebraska Top 250-Expo brought together some of the best athletes in the state to come compete under one roof in Bellevue, Nebraska on Sunday. There were 45+ players, split up into 5 teams, that went out and gave it everything they had competing in 3-4 contests throughout the day . Below I am going to give my evaluation of each player on Team 4 and how they look going into the high school season.   *Players listed as: (Jersey #, Name, Class, Size, College Position, Current High School) – For rewatching purposes on BallerTV.    Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!   #159 - [player_tooltip player_id='777555' first='Aniyah' last='Hicks-Robinson'] - 2025 - 5'4 - PG/SG - Lincoln High School   One of the best Point Guards of the day at this Expo was [player_tooltip player_id='777555' first='Aniyah' last='Hicks-Robinson'] or AHR. AHR might only stand at 5'4 but she uses her speedy first step to blow by her opponents on a regular basis. After she does this, it's kind of up in the air what will happen next. On several occasions she displayed the ability to make a tough pass to an open teammate once help stepped up. If she wasn't making a pass for an assist, she was creating for herself in some form. Wether it was a floater in the lane over a taller player or a pull up three off of a switch, it really didn't matter. AHR demonstrated pace of play, ability to elevate others, and smart decision making with the ball. That's the recipe for a college level Point Guard.   #168 - [player_tooltip player_id='777585' first='Jade' last='Lewis'] - 2025 - 5'8 - CG/SG - Yutan High School   [player_tooltip player_id='777585' first='Jade' last='Lewis'] really surprised me at this top 250-Expo throughout her entire day. Lewis was taking advantage of anything that the defense would give her. She was working off of the ball and posting up smaller players, she was hitting mid-range pull ups here and there, she was going into rebound at a consistent rate, and she was being a good teammate to the others around her on the floor. I think that Lewis has a really good base to put together a nice Junior season at Yutan this winter. She is going to be one of the better players on the floor at all times, if she can keep up her aggressive but calculated game play, there is some more good things to come in her future as it pertains to the sport of basketball.   #196 - [player_tooltip player_id='777568' first='Soledad' last='Peralta'] - 2026 - 5'6 - SG/PG - Marian High School   When you look across the gym and see [player_tooltip player_id='777568' first='Soledad' last='Peralta'] making some of the skill moves that she does, your jaw will drop. Peralta is the definition of crafty when she gets caught up in spots on the offensive end. Most of the time she does a good job of moving with intent and getting to the specific spots she wants to on the floor but at this event, there were moments where she got caught up and had to pivot, literally. Peralta would get stuck in a small spot or pick up her dribble at a bad time and always make something out of it. The first time I saw it happen, I thought it was a fluke. Then I saw it about 5-7 more times on the day and knew it was a staple of her game. Defensively, she has a balanced center of gravity that helps her out-muscle most of the players that try to take her to the rim. If she can continue her progress moving forward this winter, I think she could put together some nice numbers for Marian High School.   #199 - [player_tooltip player_id='777553' first='Aalaiya' last='Davis'] - 2025 - 5'7 - PG - Omaha Central High School   Another Point Guard that displayed a sound mixture of pace and knowledge of play was [player_tooltip player_id='777553' first='Aalaiya' last='Davis'] of Omaha Central High School. Davis has a well-rounded vision of the game when she is out there and the ball is in her hands. Offensively, she can take her defender off of the catch or dribble and is a good decision maker when it comes down to it. While on defense she is quick with her hands, creating a lot of tips and deflections for herself, usually throwing off the rhythm of her opponent and their offensive set. I'll be around to see more of Davis in a few months for high school ball but if she continues to work hard and stays dedicated to her craft, she is sure to make an impact this Winter.   #202 - [player_tooltip player_id='777565' first='Kaylee' last='Lake'] - 2027 - 5'8 - PG/SG - Elkhorn North High School   A player that I had not seen play prior to this event at all was [player_tooltip player_id='777565' first='Kaylee' last='Lake'] and she was putting on a show at times. There wasn't an occasion when Lake wasn't ready to ball out. When she was bringing up the ball she demonstrated that she could create for herself or others, when she moved to the two guard position she was knocking down shots off of the catch-and-shoot, and in transition she spaced the floor each time. Overall, Lake displayed intent and confidence in everything she did on offense, while matching up with one of the opposing teams fastest guards on defense. She made the most of her moments and because of that, she was a top performer on the day who stood out in more than one contest. Something she should be proud of while competing against some of the best players from throughout the state.   #205 - [player_tooltip player_id='677270' first='Skylar' last='Johnson'] - 2027 - 5'8 - SG - Bennington High School   [player_tooltip player_id='677270' first='Skylar' last='Johnson'] is a hard-nosed and quick thinking player out on the court. That is easy to notice from a mile away. Johnson's "feel" for the game and overall touch on the basketball are impressive. She seem to have a coordinated game that is guided with powerful moves and keeping it simple. In most situations, Johnson just does whatever the defense lets her and that leads to a lot of success. Defensively, she is more of a physical guard that likes to play up and let her opponent know that she is there with a bump or a nudge. Something, I personally love to see because it shows that she has some backbone to her. She is willing to step up and be dominant at times, leading to a bunch of stops and turnovers by the offensive player. I like what I saw from Johnson at this Expo, she can build off of it this winter at Bennington High School, there is no doubt about that.   #211 - [player_tooltip player_id='747253' first='Addison' last='Bratt'] - 2027 - 5'10 - SG/CG - Elkhorn North High School   This was my first time seeing [player_tooltip player_id='747253' first='Addison' last='Bratt'] play in person and she moved differently I would have expected. Bratt is a taller and more sound guard for her age but she really excels at shooting the basketball from deep. Prior to this, I would have told you that she is an even scorer from all three levels on the offensive end but it's obvious that she would rather step out and knock down a big shot from deep, more then anything else. Something you can't knock her for because of how good of shooter she is. She makes a lot of her attempts and no matter what, the shot always looks like it has a chance of going in. Looking toward the future, the mixture of Bratt's size and shooting ability stands out right away to college recruiters. She displayed that she can score at all three level but her best ability, shooting it, could really take her places. All in all, there is a good foundation to build on here from everything I saw.   #215 - [player_tooltip player_id='276517' first='Rylee' last='McLucas'] - 2025 - 6'0 - CG - Millard North High School   Speaking of size, shooting ability, and athleticism, next we have [player_tooltip player_id='276517' first='Rylee' last='McLucas']. McLucas has a high ceiling on the basketball court if she is to work on the correct things moving forward. She stands at around 6'0 FT, with an above average handle, shooting ability, and knowledge of the game. In most situations at this Top 250-Expo, McLucas looked like the best player competing on her court. She was doing it all for her team and didn't end up just settling to dominate in one facet of the game but instead she showed off her versatility each time down the floor. This winter McLucas will be joining up with Millard North for her Junior season. We will see what that varsity group can put together but from everything I've seen just from McLucas recently, saying they are going to be good could be an understatement.

The PGH Nebraska Top 250-Expo brought together some of the best athletes in the state to come compete under one roof in Bellevue, Nebraska on Sunday. There were 45+ players, split up into 5 teams, that went out and gave it everything they had competing in 3-4 contests throughout the day . Below I am going to give my evaluation of each player on Team 4 and how they look going into the high school season.