Hoops 4 Hunger Day 1 Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In this article, I have some standout players from the first round of the Hoops 4 Hunger tournament hosted by the Russellville Lady Cyclones. Keep reading to learn more about some talented players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1186775' first='Lillian' last='Gilbert'] | Guard | Van Buren | 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shooter alert!!!! During day 1 of the tournament, Lillian displayed her shooting ability by connecting on catch-and-shoot threes and by attacking closeouts with her ability to shoot the mid-range jumper. In addition to her shooting, she brought energy and effort to both ends of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kalaya Miller | Post | Sylvan Hills | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kalaya did a good job of operating out of the high post. She didn't panic or rush when she caught the ball at the high post and the defense converted on her. She just scanned the floor and made quick decisions while being under control. Her passes were on-target, she worked hard for rebounds and had good defensive awareness when there was penetration. Kalaya provides solid post-play for her Sylvan Hills team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Addison Hudspeth | Guard | Heber Springs | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Addison did a good job of moving without the ball and this was impressive to me because there are a lot of players that don't know how to play without the ball. By Addison finding weak spots against the zone she was able to knock down some catch-and-shoot jumpers or attack the close-out with her dribble. She finished in traffic through contact or her IQ allowed her to make the pass out to an open teammate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Molly Smith | Post | Heber Springs | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Molly is a post player who operates out of the high post. She finished around the rim with a soft touch and aggressively went after rebounds. When on the low block she did a good job of sealing the defense for position and the easy score. She was active on defense and used her hands effectively to be a disruption.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Livi McClain | Guard | Charleston | 2025</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Livi can play either guard spot. When she's off the ball she does a good job of attacking off the catch. As soon as she catches she quickly rips and attacks downhill. I love a player that can shoot the mid-range jumper, no matter what analytics say. Livi showed several times that she could make the mid-range jumper. She also could attack and if the lane was open she would finish at the rim.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='307198' first='Taleigha' last='Ealy'] | Forward | Russellville | 2024</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taleigha is not a flashy player or someone who will make a lot of noise on the floor. She does what she's supposed to do and then you look at her stats after the game and realize the impact she had. She dominates the paint with her rebounding and interior scoring. Unofficially she had a double-double with 14pts and 12 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->