Best guard play in Southern Illinois in February
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The guard play has been electric through February. With playoffs now here these ladies put up some big performances. All of these guards stood out to me for their teams. Rather it was by scoring or making plays for their…
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Continue ReadingThe guard play has been electric through February. With playoffs now here these ladies put up some big performances. All of these guards stood out to me for their teams. Rather it was by scoring or making plays for their teammates.
Rayci Phelps
Rayci Phelps
Rayci Phelps of Hamilton County finished the game against Pinckneyville with 17 points and seven rebounds. Two of those were offensive rebounds. She ended the first quarter with nine points. Phelps scored three 3-pointers. She was able to play on and off the ball being able to score in both ways. Pinckneyville looked to her to shoot shots. As a sophomore she’s averaging 17.9 points-per-game.
Kamaree Pollard
Kamaree Pollard
Kamaree Pollard of Mt. Vernon was on a mission against Massac County. She ended the game with 22 points. In a battle of two single loss teams, she shined. She had 10 points in the first quarter on all fast break shots. She ran the floor hard after Mt. Vernon would get turnovers. In the second half she got to the free-throw line, shooting 3/6 from there. She had a number of deflections coming away with three steals, and also six assists. She’s at her best when they are able to get steals and get in the open court. Pollard plays with a lot of confidence, and she shows it. Anytime she gets an “and-one” she’s going let everyone know it.
Melaina Zedalis
Melaina Zedalis
Melaina Zedalis hit five 3-pointers in the first half. She was hot from the field. The Mt. Vernon girls ran away with this win 83-53. Their transition offense was working so well it left Zedalis open to take shots. Zedalis is good at her off-ball offense. She’s able to play without having to dribble a lot. She also hits the boards hard. She grabbed six rebounds with two of them coming on offense. She finished with 19 points. One of the best catch-and-shoot, shooters in Southern Illinois.
Mater Dei Catholic is a dominant offense with a lot of back door cutting. Zurliene led her team with 16 points in a big win over Pinckneyville. 10 of those points came in the first quarter where she hit two 3-pointers. She looked comfortable with the ball in her hands. She hit the boards hard in the first half pulling down five rebounds and getting two buckets off of rebounds.
Highlights
Lily Butler Lily Butler 5'8" | PG Mater Dei | 2026 State IL
Lily Butler Lily Butler 5'8" | PG Mater Dei | 2026 State IL
Lily Butler Lily Butler 5’8″ | PG Mater Dei | 2026 State IL is a sophomore guard at Mater Dei Catholic who understands pacing. She was a lot of the calming effect for her team. Anytime she will get the ball on a break. She would always look for the team play first. She also came up with four steals.
Ny’Aajha Curry
Ny’Aajha Curry
Ny’Aajha Curry is a freshman guard/forward for Marion. She does spend a good chunk of the game with ball in her hands. If she gets a rebound, she’ll push the ball coast-to-coast. Her objective offensively is to get to the bucket. Curry is a downhill player. She understands how to use her body to get to her spots. She has multiple tools in her bag. The one I’ve seen her use the most is the euro-step. Curry understands how to run the floor and get easy lay-ups in transition.