Open Division Semi-Final: Pinnacle/Xavier College Prep

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On February 27th the <strong>Pinnacle Pioneers</strong> battled the <strong>Xavier College Prep Gators</strong> with a spot in the Open Division Championship on the line. Pinnacle came out aggressively, taking it to the Gators. The Pioneers led after the first quarter behind some hot shooting. Led by their bench, Xavier went on a run to end the 2nd quarter. At halftime, despite shooting woes, Xavier led 34-29. The 2nd half found Xavier finding their groove both offensively and defensively. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Xavier maintained a 49-41 lead. In the end, Xavier ended up pulling away and winning <strong>69-53</strong>. <br><br><strong>Here, I take a look at the standouts of the game:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='588731' first='Irene' last='Noelle Guiamatsia'] <strong>Xavier</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Noelle was almost unstoppable when she got the ball close to the rim. She keeps the ball high and finishes through contact. She is also rebounding and blocking shots at a high level. She is ready to explode onto the national scene. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='205638' first='Dominique' last='Nesland'] <strong>Xavier</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like many of the Xavier starters, Nesland got off to a slow start but picked it up in the second half. She led the way in the decisive 4th quarter. She hit some timely shots and attacked the rim aggressively. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='205649' first='Abigail' last='Dean'] <strong>Pinnacle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dean was unconscious from three the entire game. The lefty displayed a quick release and shot it with range. Abby moves well without the ball and lets the game come to her.<br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='205642' first='Mia' last='Singstock'] <strong>Pinnacle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior played her typical solid all-around game. She rebounded well and played good defense. As usual, she shot the ball well from three with her quick release. Mia showed she could put the ball on the floor using either hand. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='205639' first='Sarah' last='Nakamura Miller'] <strong>Xavier</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Miller started off slow but got things going in the 2nd half. The <strong>Penn</strong> signee is not afraid to take the big shot, as she hit a few while her team extended their lead. She's a powerful guard who knows how to create space from defenders. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='205647' first='Maureen' last='Ulrich'] <strong>Xavier</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ulrich came out and absolutely punished the defense. She got to the rim pretty much whenever she liked, resulting in either a made bucket or free throws. The senior also showed the ability to step out and hit the perimeter shot. <br><br>[player_tooltip player_id='825620' first='Norah' last='Moo'] <strong>Pinnacle</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite being in foul trouble early on, the junior post player displayed her tremendous upside. She's tough and has good footwork in the post. Her rebounding is among the best in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->