Standouts from the first two weeks – Part I

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='840049' first='Lacey' last='Goodson'], Independence, 5-6, PG, Fr.</strong> - Independence head coach Mark Cuthbert believed incoming freshman Lacy Goodson would bring dynamic guard to floor when she arrived on the Patriots' varsity squad. Turns out, he was exactly right. Goodson has not just made a nice-to-have impact, she's made a big impact during the Patriots' 4-1 start the season. Beginning in the opener against Richwood, she's led her team in scoring in four of those five contest. She's recorded two doubles-doubles during the streak. Her best game came in Game 2 against the Sherman Tide. Given a chance to show what she could do, she tallied one of those double-doubles with 33 points and 10 rebounds. One day later, she recorded her second double-double of the year in a 22-point, 10-rebound effort. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='872778' first='Haley' last='Justice'], PikeView, 5-10, C, Jr. </strong>- Justice has been swift. PikeView's junior center came out of the gate on fire. She's really stepped up into a leadership role for the Panthers. Six games into the season, she has proven a solid stalwart on a team looking to make yet another trip to the state tournament. Her contributions haven't gone unnoticed in any of the opening contests. She's scored in double-figures in three outings, including a 20-point, 15-rebound effort against Graham (Va.) back on Dec. 8, all of these wins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='410476' first='Bryn' last='Hunt'], Lewis County, 5-8, CG, Jr. </strong>- Bright lights scare [player_tooltip player_id='410476' first='Bryn' last='Hunt']? PUH-lease. Tasked to lead her team against the defending Class AAA state champion North Marion Huskies, Hunt went on the prowl. She clawed. She fought. She attacked. By the time everything was said and done, the junior compiled a stat line against the Huskies that should open eyes across the state. On the night, she tallied up 20 points with six boards - her night included five triples and a 100% effort at the charity stripe. In addition to her points, she pulled down four boards, swiped three steals and dished out a pair of assists. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379520' first='Natalie' last='Smith'], Nitro, 6-0, F, Jr.</strong> - The beat went on for Smith. And on. And on. And on. In the first six games with her new team, the newly minted Nitro Wildcat hasn't strayed far from the things that made her successful during her stop at South Charleston. Instead, she's taken what she learned with the Black Eagles and applied it at her new home. She's also taken advantage of an amazing situation in the post where [player_tooltip player_id='496344' first='Karson' last='Jones'] has caused trouble for the Wildcats' opponents. While teams have tried to shut her down, Smith has stepped up in the first six games. She currently leads the Wildcats in scoring at 16 points per game, and she's led them in the points category in their two biggest wins of the young season - Sissonville and St. Albans. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='383999' first='Kayli' last='Derrow'], John Marshall, 5-11, PF, Sr.</strong> - She started a bit cold, but then she heated up. In a senior season where she scored just 8 points in the opener, Derrow made the number look silly in the next games. Instead of single-digit point totals, she's erupted for many more points while she's contributed much more around the court, also. She raised her point production in every game. She's averaged 22.5 points in the last four game, and she recorded a 35-point, 15-rebound double-double against South Charleston . </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->