New Year, New Names

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are 6 talented prospects -- one from each classification 1A through 6A -- to be mindful of in the new year.</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='833625' first='Lilly' last='Schimel']","_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":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"12121","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Corbett","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='713147' first='Oregon' last='Elite']","_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":"One of the key stars on a loaded Corbett squad, [player_tooltip player_id='833625' first='Lilly' last='Schimel'] is someone you will absolutely want to watch out for in the new year. In her last three games with the Cardinals, she had 20 points (including 6 three-pointers), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and a block in the exhibition game against Modbury High School; 5 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals versus The Dalles; and a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, and a block in the game with Pleasant Hill. And she has been doing this all season long. Schimel is one of the most lethal outside shooters in all of 3A, knocking in at least a few in just about every game for the Cardinals. And just by looking at the numbers, it's evident that she is an absolute beast on the boards at the guard position, a constant defensive threat that is getting the ball back for her team all the time, and can dish to her open teammates. Corbett is currently 10-0 heading into the new year, and the junior's excellent abilities will continue to be on full display in 2024.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='834144' first='Avery' last='Buss']","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"12121","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"McNary","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_1_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_1_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='834144' first='Avery' last='Buss'] was a first team all-Central Valley Conference selection a season ago, however, she has elevated her game even higher this season as a senior. Perhaps most impressive about her game is her consistency in excelling in many aspects of the game. She is regularly leading her McNary team in points,, rebounds, assists, steals, etc. Her crafty and intelligent play as well as her leadership are hard to miss when she is out there on the floor. Buss has put up big performances game after game for the Celtics, including 17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in a win over Summit; 16 points and 5 steals against Thurston; and a 16-point, 10-assist double-double to go along with 7 steals versus Evergreen (WA). McNary finished out the old year bouncing back with a huge win over La Salle right after losing to the Falcons earlier in the week. Buss has led them to 6-4 to start the season, putting them in a good position heading into conference play and a real shot at returning to the postseason at the 6A level.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='832650' first='Mariah' last='Bailey']","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"12121","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Cottage Grove","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='713147' first='Oregon' last='Elite']","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='832650' first='Mariah' last='Bailey'] is one of the top talents at the 4A level and a name you won't want to forget headed into the new year. Only a sophomore, Bailey has already demonstrated to everyone that she isn't afraid to knock down huge shots from outside or to take on the primary scoring role for the Lions. For the week of 12/11, she was voted the WaFd Bank Oregon Girls Basketball Athlete of the Week for her 23 points u002du002d which included five 3's u002du002d 3 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 assists in their big win over Gladstone, along with a few other big performances during that week. She also had 13 points in their loss to Henley, who is currently 11-0 and the #1 team in the state, and she scored 9 of them in the third quarter while leading the Lions' big push that made it a game. Her presence and constantly improving play is being felt, as Cottage Grove only won 4 games during her entire freshman season, and they are already 8-4 and ranked 10th in the state in her sophomore year. With such a great start, it will be exciting to see Bailey and Cottage Grove keep this momentum going into 2024.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='833627' first='Rachael' last='Stirewalt']","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"12124","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Imbler","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Taking a look at the 1A landscape, Imbler High School is currently 9-4, sitting atop the Old Oregon League, and ranked #2 in the state. A huge reason for their massive success in 2023 was the play and talent of junior [player_tooltip player_id='833627' first='Rachael' last='Stirewalt']. Stirewalt is a long 5'10 athlete who plays all over the floor for the Panthers from bringing the ball up the floor to battling it out down in the post, with her versatility being a rare and valuable skill. She is often one of the top scorers for the Panthers, with a particularly impressive ability to crash the offensive glass and create put-back opportunities. She frequently is the leading scorer like with her 14 points against Weston-McEwen and in their second to last game of 2023, Stirewalt put on a show, scoring 25 of Imbler's 43 points in their win over Enterprise at the Eastern Oregon Holiday Crossover. Stirewalt and her team will need to keep up their efforts as they look to make a push for a state championship in 2024.","_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='832652' first='Clara' last='Persons']","_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":"null","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"12121","_player_evaluations_4_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_4_player_details_school":"Regis","_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='832652' first='Clara' last='Persons'] is another stud to keep an eye on for the rest of this season. She is another young, talented sophomore who has taken the reins of her team and moved Regis to the #5 spot in the state at the 2A level. She had a boatload of big games in 2023 and is likely to continue the trend in the new year, including an incredible 27-point performance in the win over Horizon Christian at the Regis Holiday Classic as well as 24 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds in the victory over Harrisburg at the Queens of the Court tournament. The latter earned her WaFd Bank Oregon Girls Basketball Athlete of the Week honors for the week of 12/25. There is no question that Persons can shoot the rock, and her abilities as a track star are on full display with her incredible speed and athleticism on the court. At 8-2, Regis and Persons are poised to win a lot of games in 2024, including a deep postseason run.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='834148' first='Justina' last='Semerikov']","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"12124","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"Silverton","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_5_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_5_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Another name to remember in 2024 is [player_tooltip player_id='834148' first='Justina' last='Semerikov']. The Silverton senior has been a valuable part of that program and its success over the past few years, and this season is no different. She is the perfect compliment to [player_tooltip player_id='255259' first='Kyleigh' last='Brown']'s point guard play as she is a constant shooting threat from outside for the Foxes, often putting in three or four from deep in a single game and getting to double-digit scoring numbers in quite a few games. Semerikov is also a prolific rebounder for Silverton, and throws in a few big assists and steals to help her team in any way she can. In December, she had 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal versus Wilsonville in and 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal against Woodburn, including two 3-pointers. That is the kind of player Semerikov is: just always doing the little things to help her team win and always seems to be all over the floor in the meantime. Silverton is currently ranked #9 in 5A and will be a lot of fun to watch as they head into Mid-Willamette Conference play in 2024.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6594d5fe55755"} /-->