CLAA Tournament Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Girls Hoops Missouri took a look at the action from the CLAA Tournament, which was held at Tina-Avalon. We watched the two semifinals games, which featured Higbee defeating Hardin-Central and Braymer defeating Brunswick. Here are some of the standout performers who caught our attention Thursday night's semifinal games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='424768' first='Ronnie' last='Welch'] (Higbee): A 5'7" 2025 guard who has one of the best motors in the state of Missouri. She plays the top of the Tigers' full-court press and she is always going at full speed, hawking the ball and looking for deflections and steals. She is so disruptive with her athleticism and tenacity. She is also a very effective slasher when she has the ball on offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lexi O'Dell (Braymer): A 5'7" 2024 guard who scored 23 points in Braymer's exciting victory over Brunswick in the semifinals. She hit multiple 3-pointers and she was also moving well without the ball and cutting for easy layups. She had a pair of impressive drives along the baseline for layups in traffic. I also liked how she looked to box out taller players inside every time a shot went up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='620694' first='Joslynn' last='Brown'] (Brunswick): A 6'0" 2026 forward who scored 11 points and dominated the boards with at least 15 rebounds on the evening. She grabs boards out of her area and she does a good job of keeping the ball high. She is an athletic player who plays with a strong motor at both ends of the court. She also made some good passes from the high post area.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Alie Mitchell (Higbee): A 5'7" 2024 guard who had an impressive showing in the semifinals. She had some nice drives to the basket, which resulted in layups and a nice runner in the lane. She also knocked down a pair of open 3-pointers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='633991' first='Cadence' last='Meyer'] (Brunswick): A 5'11" 2026 wing player who has a versatile skill set. She had a excellent touch from the mid-range area. She uses the glass well on her turnaround jumper from the mid-post area. She is an excellent shot blocker who got many good swats without having to leave her feet to jump. She could also handle the ball and knock down a jumper from 3-point range.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Karissa Rogers (Braymer): A 2024 guard who scored on the game-winning basket on a great downhill drive to the basket in the closing seconds. She's a high energy guard with good speed and the ability to turn the corner off the dribble. She also excels in the open court with her speed. She was the MVP of the tournament last season in leading Braymer to the tournament title in 2023.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rayleigh Cox (Braymer): A 2024 point guard who impressed me with her speed and quickness and her decision making with the ball. She was getting into the lane and finding open 3-point shooters on kick outs and forwards inside on drop offs. She was also hitting open 3-pointers from the corner. She sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with four seconds left in the semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Emma Stowers (Brunswick): A 5'11" 2024 guard who can handle the ball and knock down the 3-pointer. She also attacked the close out well with a shot fake and putting the ball on the floor and hitting the jumper off the dribble. She handles the ball quite a bit for her team and she could see over the defense with her height.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Isabelle Welch (Higbee): A 5'9" 2025 forward who does most of her work in the paint area. She is constantly working hard to get rebounding position and she had her share of putbacks. She doesn't mind the physical play inside as she will take the contact and get a bucket and a trip to the free throw line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Libby Fifer (Hardin-Central): A 2024 guard who was a very good multi-tasker for her team. She has the ability to score in the paint and she can also step out and hit the open 3-pointer. She's a good rebounder who will also do a big share of ball handling and facilitating on offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->