Thursday Night Highlights

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the Thursday night before break there were a lot of high-level matchups across the state, throughout all the different Classes. Below we cover some of the best that we saw, while giving a little outlook of what the future may hold moving forward for that said team/player.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1005091' first='Chloe' last='Meester']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12120","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Mount Vernon","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Whenever I have spoken about Mount Vernon this past year it's because of their Guard play but someone that has been putting up some decent numbers this season so far is their post player, [player_tooltip player_id='1005091' first='Chloe' last='Meester']. Meester is an intelligent and dominant force inside the paint and that was on full display last night against Regina Catholic on the road. In a matchup that featured two really good teams, Mount Vernon came into this game and owned it from the start. At the end of the first quarter it was a 21 point lead for the Mustangs and they never looked back, eventually winning the contest 78-37. This team is for real and Meester is an important part to their success. Her presence in the paint is going to be a vital factor for this group come playoff time but as for now, they will ride into winter break with a 10-0 record. Something I'm sure that everyone on this roster is excited about but not satisfied with. ","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["311367"],"_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":"The Monticello Panthers got a convincing win on Thursday night to walk into winter break with a 10-1 record. This win was in the form of a 11 point victory against CPU High School at home. Their leader in the contest was their powerhouse combo guard/small forward - [player_tooltip player_id='311367' first='Jayden' last='Kuper']. Kuper ended this one with 28 points on 9/20 shooting, 17 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists. When you take into consideration that their team only won by 11, you can see why this performance was big time. I've had Kuper on the radar for this 2025 Class for a few years now. She is someone that could produce at the next level in a plethora of different ways depending on where she ends up. She has been having a good season so far and I expect that to continue coming back out of the break. ","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["638015"],"_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":"The #1 ranked team in the 5A Class, The Johnston Dragons, had their hands full on Thursday night on the road against the Waukee Warriors and a big part of that is due to the play of [player_tooltip player_id='638015' first='Maryne' last='Szalo']. Szalo is only a Sophomore playing at the varsity level but she has been holding her own and showing the entire state why she is one of the best throughout her grade-level. I first had the chance to see Szalo compete on the AAU circuit this summer and she killed it. On multiple occasions she was pulling out impressive skill moves, defending any and all types of opponents, and producing on both sides of the floor every possession. That same play-style has boiled over to the high school season and she is starting to really flourish. In this specific contest, Szalo scored 13 points on 6/9 shooting. She also did a handful of others things that don't show up in the stat book like tipping/deflecting the ball, leading to a turnover or being the first to dive on the floor for a loose ball. All in all, Szalo has a bright future on the court. She is a future college player and it's only a matter of time until she is taking a number of visit to decide where she might want to play after her high school career comes to a close. ","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["640805"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='640805' first='Missy' last='Evezic'] is doing exactly what she should with the natural size she has been gifted. She is taking up productive space in the lane and making almost every shot she takes near the hoop. In her teams 15+ point win on Thursday night, Evezic scored 22 points on 9/10 shooting, while grabbing 8 rebounds. Something important to note about this stat line is that within these 22 points, was 4 free throw attempts. Each attempt was made by Evezic showing everyone watching that they can't just try to foul her once she catches at the basket. This makes defenses have to play a complete different style when they go up against St. Albert's. I'm not sure of her college aspirations but I know a school or two out there would love Evezic on their roster. She works hard, produces at a steady rate, and has a positive attitude. Those are three things a college coach, loves to coach.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"Addie Van Arendonk","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"12124","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Pella Christian ","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_4_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_4_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"For what I've seen so far this season, Pella Christian has some young pieces on their roster that can hoop, they just need some more experience. One of their best players and someone that led their team last night to a close, 3 point victory is Addie Van Arendonk. Arendonk is a 5'10 Forward that has the ability to move all over the court, position wise. In yesterdays game, she was super efficient, making the most out of her opportunities. Offensively, she ended with a team high 18 points on 7/10 shooting. This Eagles group is at their best when they are all moving. No matter if that's because they are running a set or their regular motion. Just like everyone else, they are very hard to defend when they are moving with a purpose and that was another thing they did great in this contest. I'll be keeping my eye on this group moving forward. Their young pieces are interesting. If they keep on the path they are on right now, they are going to put together an awesome winter both from an individual and team perspective. 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