Nixa Invitational Tournament New Names
Prep Girls Hoops Missouri watched a lot of the action from this weekend’s WNIT at Nixa High. The tournament was deep with quality players and excellent teams. Republic defeated Marshfield 60-55 to win the championship. Fair Grove defeated host Nixa…
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Continue ReadingPrep Girls Hoops Missouri watched a lot of the action from this weekend’s WNIT at Nixa High. The tournament was deep with quality players and excellent teams. Republic defeated Marshfield 60-55 to win the championship. Fair Grove defeated host Nixa in the third place game while Cape Notre Dame defeated Helias for fifth place.
In our first feature on the NIT, we take a look at some New Names of players that caught our attention.
Taylor Wood (Nixa): A 5’10” 2026 forward who was one of the most impressive players that I watched in the tournament. She scored 25 points in the third-place game and she did it in a variety of ways. She has a strong post game where she uses her body and physical strength to gain good position. She could score on the drop step and on a number of good moves with her footwork inside. She was just as good on the perimeter as she could attack the basket in either direction while being able to knock down open 3-pointers. In the overtime loss to Fair Grove, she was making one big shot after another down the stretch.
Ella Bailey (California): A 2025 forward who was one of the top scorers in the tournament and she did it with a good old school game in the low post. She is very skilled around the basket where she can establish her position and catch the ball well in traffic and she is a good finisher. She used her strength to move defenders and clear a little space to score. She averaged 15 points a game in the tournament, including a high of 25 points in the first round against Marshfield.
Alaina Norman (Republic): A 5’11” 2025 forward who provides a good inside presence for a Tigers team that is full of talented guards. She is a dependable scorer around the basket and she gets her share of offensive rebounds and putbacks. She does a good job of battling for good rebounding position. When a guard penetrates, she can also step and catch the pass and hit the open 15 footer.
Laney Strong (Republic): A 5’7″ 2025 guard who had a strong game off the bench in the championship game victory over Marshfield. She scored on a pair of impressive drives to the basket and she also hit big Corner 3-pointer in the second half. She was effective at scoring in the lane with both hands. She also did a nice job of blocking out much taller players inside for rebounding position.
Allison Findley (Fair Grove): A 5’6″ 2025 forward who had some very impressive defensive plays in the Eagles third-place game win over Nixa. Her low-post defense was very good as she was able to steal multiple passes coming inside. She was fronting taller players inside and making the steal. She also made some very nice rotations on defense to be in the position to make a play. She also contributed a couple of buckets on some solid takes to the basket, where she scored with her left hand.
Morgan Davis (Francis Howell Central): A 5’9″ 2025 guard who is the Spartans’ leading scorer and a good athlete as well. She is active on defense on the top of her team’s 1-3-1 zone defense. She has a quick first step on her drive to the basket and she is a solid passer as well. She will also hit the open 3-pointer to stretch the defense.