In-Game Evaluations: Walker Valley at Cleveland
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In an inter-county, district rivalry the Walker Valley Lady Mustangs went into the Raider Arena and game the Lady Raiders a big time scare! Walker Valley was leading at the half, and it was a neck and neck game up…
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Continue ReadingIn an inter-county, district rivalry the Walker Valley Lady Mustangs went into the Raider Arena and game the Lady Raiders a big time scare! Walker Valley was leading at the half, and it was a neck and neck game up until the final minutes. Really fun atmosphere in this one as Walker Valley came close to pulling out a big-time upset!
Final:
Cleveland (11-6): 43
Walker Valley (7-9): 35
Pierce was rock solid on both ends of the ball tonight. She handled the Cleveland full court pressure, she hit timely shots throughout the entirety of the game, and veteran leadership was obvious. Pierce is a multidimensional player with a nice skill set. Really showed out tonight.
Jalaya Lindsey
Jalaya Lindsey
I know Walker Valley has struggled a bit this season, but Lindsey has had a fabulous year. Coach Sausville puts the ball in her hands, lets her run the show, expects her to lead her teammates, and both know and implement the game plan. Just watching her you can see her IQ is off the charts, and her undertanding of time and situation is great. She was able to penetrate and collapse the defense (so must so that eventually Cleveland put Hurst on her), and knocked down some big time shots.
Ilianis Rodriguez Ilianis Rodriguez 5'5" | PG Cleveland | 2026 TN
Ilianis Rodriguez Ilianis Rodriguez 5'5" | PG Cleveland | 2026 TN
Rodriguez has been really good all season. Coach Hensley has put the ball in her hands and lets her run the show. She’s a confident player, and does a good job breaking down defenses. Cleveland struggled turning the ball over against Walker Valley (and that’s what kept WV in the game)….and that’s where Rodriguez will need to learn to pull her teammates together and hold everyone accountable. I love her skill set. She’s a shot maker…nice court vision….just does a lot of things well. Last night’s win wasn’t pretty, but they figured it out by the final whistile….and Rodrigues played a huge role in that.
This was a fun game to watch Hurst in. Statistically, I just don’t think it’s realistic to expect her to produce like she does in AAU. It’s just a different game.
From a skill standpoint, you saw a bit of everything from Hurst. CHS started the game trying to go 4 out 1 in with Hurst posting up a fronted defender, and Cleveland would try to take away the backside help. They were only able to get a few really nice possessions from this, and then it seemed they scrapped they game plan, and started just putting the ball in Hursts hands in ther perimeter. She handled the ball a ton from the 2nd quarter on. She’d pull a board and go coast to coast. She’d attack the defense from the top of the key. She showed moment of intense competitiveness. She was aggressively looking to get her three ball off. She has all the skills to be GREAT.
Defensively, she literally switched from guarding the 5 to guarding the 1 in order to keep her out of the paint. She was blocking shows. Aggressively attacking the glass. Impacted the game on both ends.
Tanner was HUGE in the 4th quarter. She knocked down a three breaking a tie ball game, and the following possession she pulled an offensive rebound gaining a huge extra possession with time winding down. Tanner is an “x factor” for this team as they are still looking for consistent scorers. If Tanner can continue to play outstanding defense, and beginning hitting shot from the perimeter with a bit more consistency, she has a chance to be very good. Really nice set of intangibles.
Highlights
Copeland is a freshman 6th man for CHS. While she didn’t start the game, she did finish it. She’s a shot hitter and doesn’t get rattled by pressure. She played big fourth quarter minutes, didn’t turn it over, made the right passes, and showed the trait I enjoy watching most about Copeland–extreme competitiveness. She’s the type of kid that isn’t going to lose a 50/50 ball, and pulls herself up off the floor immediately after diving for a loose ball. The kid is tough!