Bigs making big waves (Uncommitted)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='384297' first='Carleigh' last='Curotz'], Robert C. Byrd, F, 5-11, Sr.</strong> - What has gotten into [player_tooltip player_id='384297' first='Carleigh' last='Curotz']? One year after a bit of a struggle on the court, Curotz has turned her performance up to maximum on the court. She's not only unleashed her usually deadly outside game, but she's shown off a much improved and little known facet of her game - Her post moves. Her marks and impact are all over the Flying Eagles' schedule, especially in the month of January. Her prints can be seen in the biggest wins like a come-from-behind win over Lewis County. Following the opposing Minutemaids jumping out to a big lead after some hot shooting in the first quarter, she helped lead the charge back from down double-digits. In fact, according to head coach Robert Shields, she's done exactly what she's supposed to be doing in her senior year as a four-year starter. "She's really got some great intangibles and she's brought out so much more of her game this year than we have seen in the past," Shields said. "She's really started to see where the sports are at and where she can get her points and where to hit on the screens and pick-and-rolls." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='379527' first='Zaniah' last='Zellous'], George Washington, C, 6-2, Jr.</strong> - Zellous appears on her way to a Class AAAA All-State first team slot. At least right now. She's ripped the Patriots' competition a few new weapons to worry about in many of GW's contests. She created multiple mismatches and she's finished around the rim so consistently, that many times, if she receives the ball on the block it is often too late. This scene could be seen in one of the Patriots' best wins of the year vs. Parkersburg High. Matched up against a physical defensive player in the Big Reds' [player_tooltip player_id='653258' first='Kennedy' last='Porter'], Zellous took her time working her opponent down on the block. She waited to make her move and then exploded through the physical presence of Porter with a spin move or just a shot over Porter's outstretched arms. Trust me, there was little else Porter could do in those moments. She had great positioning, but Zellous made it obsolete and scored. This hasn't just been the case against the Big Reds, Zellous enters the final month of the season averaging a triple down. Zellous uses her strength and athleticism well against less blessed defenders, and now she has the finesse and multiple moves she can utilize on defenders capable of handling her other talents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='570500' first='Ava' last='Dobbins'], Gilmer County, C, 6-3, So. </strong>- Are we sure No. 25 hasn't returned to the court for Gilmer County? Dobbins is beginning to look like her cousin Riley Fitzwater out on the hardwood. Just a little bit. OK, maybe she isn't looking like Riley in terms of looks, but she certainly is resembling her in terms of her game on the floor. In her second year, she's no longer the freshman who has trouble receiving the inbounds passes and is struggling with dumb fouls while blocking shots. Rather, she's morphed into a dominant post present for the Titans? How dominant? After many games this season, her stat sheet has looked similar to that of her cousin Riley's. Blocks, rebounds and points are all up and no one could really stop her. Sure, she's experienced a few down games. Turns out, she's human. Yet, those contests haven't come at a pace to cause any concern. What do I like most about Dobbins' game? She seems to be improving each and every night she's on the court. Her defensive and scoring instincts are always increasing each time out, thus leading to her improved confidence in herself night in and night out. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='384296' first='Shayla' last='Montgomery'], St. Albans, PF, 5-11, Sr.</strong> - Montgomery knows how to rebound! Boy, howdy, does she know how to rebound. In style. Opponents may as well turn around and head back down the court if they see her anywhere near a carom. Chances are it is going to her. Just look at her 2023-24 season. How many rebounds is she averaging a game? 12.5! That's right! 12.5. And, these rebounds haven't come easily at all. These rebounds have come against some of the top bigs in the Mountain State Athletic Conference like [player_tooltip player_id='653258' first='Kennedy' last='Porter'], [player_tooltip player_id='384101' first='Allie' last='Daniels'], [player_tooltip player_id='379527' first='Zaniah' last='Zellous'] and many more. Night in and night out, she's done her rebound routine and came away with enough boards per game to fill up a donut box. Why is she so good at rebounding? She's so aggressive on the offensive end. More aggressive than many of her peers. She's actively looked for situations to put herself in position for rebounds. It also hasn't hurt that as she guards positions 1-5 every game, she's in nearly any position to pull down a carom no matter where a shot goes up on the board. She's uses her long wing span to keep opponents away from the ball. Then, she tracks the ball off the rim better than most people before she goes up with both hands and secures the board for the Red Dragons. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='653258' first='Kennedy' last='Porter'], Parkersburg, C, 5-10, So. </strong>- Porter has constructed one heck of a sophomore season. So far. After she fought for playing time last year, she's now a starter on the court for the Big Reds. When the ball goes up, she's often the one in the circle trying to tip it to her teammates. What happens after tip-off? A whole lot of good stuff. She's not just become a better rebounder, but you can see visible improvement in her post moves and how she chooses to finish around the rim. In one of the Big Reds' best played games of the year, Porter really showed her scoring abilities against GW. Tasked with scoring points against a more athletic [player_tooltip player_id='379527' first='Zaniah' last='Zellous'], she showed her moves and her patience in scoring several times against the GW future Division I talent. Her strongest move is a shoulder dip where she gets inside a defender then puts the ball up off the glass. The thing I like most about this young lady is that she never gives up and always brings a competitive attitude to the court. She productively plays as she utilizes her emotions. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->