Additional Standouts at Gateway Tournament

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There was a lot of good performances in this year's Gateway Tournament.&nbsp; The tournament showcased talented prospects from the Freshmen class to the to the Senior class.&nbsp; In this article we hilight some of the additional standouts in the tournament.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='633535' first='Alex' last='Gross'] had a great performance in the thriller game against Paxon.&nbsp; Gross scored 24 and knocked down 8 three pointers.&nbsp; (This is no misprint).&nbsp; Gross has the three in her arsenal and she went to it 14 times in one of&nbsp; the best&nbsp; games of the tournament.&nbsp; Gross also has an effective midrange game and she is dynamic in the transition game.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='349326' first='Nykeria' last='Thomas'] was steady in her performance at the Gateway Conference tournament.&nbsp; Thomas scored well, rebounded well,&nbsp; as had numerous steals and assists.&nbsp; Thomas has the all around game and does a lot of things well on the basketball court.&nbsp; She has a great feel for the game and is a selfless player on the court.&nbsp; She is versatile and can play multiple positions and score on the block as well as on the perimeter.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='248287' first='Kiyana' last='Hunter'] played well in the Gateway and in the First round, she scored 10 points and&nbsp; dished out 6 assists, accounting for over half of the team's offensive output.&nbsp; &nbsp; Hunter connected on several threes and had some crafty moves to the basket.&nbsp; Defensively,&nbsp; Hunter had 4 steals, and a lot of deflections.&nbsp;&nbsp; She showed versatility playing the point position and at times moving to the shooting guard position. Hunter also hit a game tying three pointer in the closing minute of overtime. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='746624' first='Leandrea' last='McCloud'] went about her business quietly and performed well in the Gateway tournament. &nbsp; McCloud scored near double figures in both Gateway games,&nbsp; but it was the other things that she brought to the table that were impressive.&nbsp; She had monstrous games on the glass,&nbsp; pulling down 16 rebounds in one game and 10 on another.&nbsp; She also handles the ball and initiates the offense,&nbsp; and she makes good passes to teammates and sets them up to score when drawing double teams.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='768516' first='Kourtney' last='Johnson'] played well in the Gateway and averaged nearly 14 points per contest.&nbsp; Johnson is very good in the transition game and has very good straight line speed.&nbsp; She consistently steals the ball in transition and puts defenders in a bind when attacking the basket on offensive transition plays.&nbsp; Johnson does a great job of getting to the freethrow line.&nbsp; She is also good at drawing the defense and kicking to an open teammate.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='221646' first='Terriyanna' last='Medlock'] came within 2 points of a double double in her matchup against Paxon.&nbsp; Medlock is a versatile six footer who can play inside or out,&nbsp; and she can shoot inside or out as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='248283' first='Kennedy' last='Hill'] displayed that D-1 speed on the basketball court and really stood out in the transition game.&nbsp; Hill was going Coast to Coast and leaving the 9 other players in the dust. &nbsp; Hill also showed she could knock down the three point shot. When her three point shot is cooking, she is virtually unstoppable.&nbsp; Against Mandarin, she knocked down at least 3 three pointers and had several key drives to the basket. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='430455' first='Kimora' last='Hester'] played well in the Gateway tournament. Throughout the season Hester has been the leading scorer for Jackson. She can drive the ball and is a midrange sniper with incredible athleticism. Hester averages nearly 12.1 points per game and is an excellent rebounder from the guard position.  She is extremely  athletic and also is a playmaker who can draw double teams and dish the ball to her teammates.  Hester played well in both nights of the tournament and was a standout in the tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->