Standouts of the week (1/2/24-1/5/24)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first week of the new year had some entertaining games and even better performances. Here are the players that impressed me this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["816642"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='816642' first='Zora' last='Burrell'] is one of the more underrated players in NOVA. She does all the little things well for a terrific Potomac School team. On Wednesday, Zora filled the stat sheet in a 7-point win over St. Andrews. She finished with 12 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals. On Friday, Zora finished with 6 steals and 10 rebounds in a competitive game against one of the country's best teams, Sidwell Friends. Zora is a terrific defender and always provides endless energy. She is one of the best charge-takers I've ever seen and always takes the opposing team's best perimeter player. Zora had her hands all over both Potomac Schools games this week, and it's time people pay more attention to what she brings to the court.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["260620"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"I want to highlight another elite defender, [player_tooltip player_id='260620' first='Alysa' last='Carrigan'], and what she was able to do this week. She led Tuscarora to a 3-0 week and had a few outstanding performances. On Tuesday against Freedom South-riding, she had 17 points, 8 steals, and 5 blocks. Then, on Friday against Independence, she had 19 points and 11 steals. Alysa is an exceptional defender with her length and high-level athleticism, and she has taken the next step to become a more consistent scorer. Tuscarora lost a lot of production from last year, and they haven't missed a beat.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["743970"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='743970' first='Irieanna' last='Smoot'] is one of the most improved players in the state so far this year. She has jumped up nearly 16 points per game since last year. She has had some massive performances earlier, and this week, I was finally able to watch her and was really impressed. She was one of her team's lone bright spots in a blowout to a terrific Osbourn Park team. She knocked down tough shots from 3 and competed the entire game. On Thursday, Ireianna led Osbourn to a nice win over Park View. She knocked down four threes and finished with 24 points. Ireianna is a gifted offensive player, and her shot-making ability is high-level. She has good size for a guard and is becoming one of the better scorers in NOVA.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["602747"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Riverside played only one game this week, a two-point win against Heritage. [player_tooltip player_id='602747' first='Ella' last='Mahaffey'] had one of the week's biggest games with 35, so I needed to acknowledge that even though she played only one game. Ella knocked down a handful of threes and forced a few turnovers that she was able to turn into points. Riverside only won this game by 2, so they needed all 35 from Ella.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["555428"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Osbourn Park had arguably the best win of the week on Friday when they beat Gainesville 52-46. Gainesville is one of the best teams in the state, and they've been rolling so far this year. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='555428' first='Keyarah' last='Rainey'] had a monster game, pouring in 30 points. Osbourn Park had a rough night shooting the ball and had trouble scoring early. Keyarah played in the middle of the zone, much like a big man, and dominated. She got to the line often; even against a long and athletic Gainesville team, she had her way inside. Keyarah led the team in rebounding and was great on defense as well. OP had a 2-0 week with their near 30-point victory over Osbourn earlier in the week, and they look like an absolute force right now.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["260610"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Lake Braddock got off to a tough start to the year. They played some outstanding teams early, and even with that being said, they would have liked to make those games a little more competitive. They had a nice bounce-back week this week, going 2-0, led by senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='260610' first='Sarah' last='Pritz']. Sarah had a solid game against West Springfield on Tuesday with 10 points and game-winning Free throws, but she really flexed her muscles on Friday against Woodson. She scored 23 of her team's 46 points and finished with 11 rebounds and 4 assists. She showed her versatility by doing good work in the paint and stepping out and knocking down a few threes. She was outstanding defensively and impressed me all week.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-659a0ec800439"} /-->