Walnut Grove Tournament Tuesday's Starting Five

The Earl Time Podcast/Prep Girls Hoops Missouri Tour was in Southwest Missouri on Tuesday to take in the action at the Morris Brothers Invitational Tournament, which is held at Walnut Grove High. We had a chance to watch five games, including the two semifinals games. In the first semifinal game, Miller defeated Blue Eye. Host Walnut Grove edged Sparta 35-34 in the second semifinal game. No. 1 seed Miller will face No. 2 seed Walnut Grove for the championship on Thursday night.   After watching the action on Tuesday, Prep Girls Hoops Missouri presents its "Starting Five" from those five games based on what we saw.   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_8592.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-827949" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='424722' first='Ellie' last='Smith'] (Walnut Grove): A 5'6" 2025 point guard who came up big in the clutch in the Lady Tigers one-point victory over Sparta. She's a consummate floor leader who gets her teammates involved with her passing while playing excellent defense. When it is time to score, she knows how to get a bucket. With Walnut Grove trailing 34-30 in the final minute, she pulled up and hit a 3-pointer to cut the Sparta lead to one point. She then knocked down the game winning free throws with five seconds left. She creates off the dribble well and can break down her defender to get into the lane to create a shot at a variety of angles to score.     ******   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_8565.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-827953" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='525601' first='Loghann' last='Leivan'] (Miller): A 5'8" 2026 guard who scored a team-high 18 points in the Lady Cardinals victory over Blue Eye in the semifinals. She's an excellent athlete who handles the ball well and has a good feel for the game. She showcased her shooting range by knocking down three 3-pointers. She also attacks the basket well off the dribble and she can operate in the high post against a zone defense, where she can either hit the jumper or score on the drive. She's physically strong and she has a nice heir of confidence about her when she's on the court.     ******   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_8513.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-827954" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='645082' first='Taylor' last='Blehm'] (Morrisville): A 5'10" 2024 forward who was dominant in MCE's victory over a good Marionville in the fifth-place bracket semifinals. She has good size along with a unique blend of power and finesse in her game. She can go down in the low post and wear out smaller defenders with her moves and footwork along with a nice touch inside. She is also a good secondary ball handler who can pass the ball to the open cutter or hit the 3-pointer off the catch. She is very active on offense with her movement and ability to read defenses, which keeps them guessing.     ******   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_8568.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-827955" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='853131' first='Ashlynn' last='Helton'] (Miller): A versatile 5'8" 2026 guard who scored 14 points and performed many other tasks in the Cardinals victory over Blue Eye in the semifinals. She is a good athlete who excels anywhere on the court. She is one of the team's primary ball handlers and she does a nice job of getting her teammates involved with her unselfish play. She made some excellent passes to open cutters. She also knocked down a pair of 3-pointers with her quick release from the perimeter. She also went into the mid-post area and hit a nice turnaround jumper from about 12 feet. She caught the ball and turned and shot without any wasted motion and the ball touched the bottom of the net.     ******   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/12/IMG_8492.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-827956" /></figure>   Emma Trotter (Fordland): A 5'6" 2024 guard who was one of the most impressive athletes that I saw during the day. She is a dynamic offensive player who is always on the attack and putting lots and lots of pressure on the opposing defense. She scored more than 20 points in a victory over Ash Grove. She has tremendous speed in the open court as she was sprinting by defenders while dribbling the ball while they were just trying to keep up without having the ball. She got into the lane and finished at a variety of angles. She was also a ball hawk on defense as she picked a few pockets in the open court while also getting a couple of steals while shooting the passing lanes.

The Earl Time Podcast/Prep Girls Hoops Missouri Tour was in Southwest Missouri on Tuesday to take in the action at the Morris Brothers Invitational Tournament, which is held at Walnut Grove High. We had a chance to watch five games, including the two semifinals games. In the first semifinal game, Miller defeated Blue Eye. Host Walnut Grove edged Sparta 35-34 in the second semifinal game. No. 1 seed Miller will face No. 2 seed Walnut Grove for the championship on Thursday night.