6A Final Four: Essential Playmakers
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These athletes made high level impact due to their perimeter play, either through efficient shotmaking from range or due to their defensive playmaking against the most talented opponents. Quinn VanSickle CO #6 CG #3 HEIGHT 5'8" POS CG CLASS 2025…
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Continue ReadingThese athletes made high level impact due to their perimeter play, either through efficient shotmaking from range or due to their defensive playmaking against the most talented opponents.
Vansickle came off with a fiery start, knocking down a pair of threes along with a drawn foul, she came off to as effective a start as anyone in this game. Always a threat to flow into the jumper following a ball screen, opponents were often at a loss attempting to contain the guard. Their finals opponent, Regis Jesuit, will need to find a way to take away space on her stepback jumpers, where she converted multiple threes in her Final 4 performance. Alongside her scoring was her passing vision while under duress, creating assists or hockey assists around a dozen times. She even leveraged a few of those openings via a hustle play, scrambling for a loose ball and reacting quickly.
Jones is the perfect complement to VanSickle, an efficient volume shotmaker along the perimeter. Needing minimal space to let the jumper fly off the catch, she has asserted herself as one of the state’s most skilled shotmakers in part from her play in these past few rounds. Although not just a perimeter shooter, she got downhill for finesse finishes, including a floater over the incoming contest. Although playmaking has not been her primary focus through the playoffs, she created scoring opportunities for teammates on a few occasions thanks to her quick instincts. The guard dealt with tight pressure while handling the ball, certainly a name worthy of greater opportunity in due time.
Belibi came up big when they needed shots, staying ready to let jumpers fly past the contest. She reminded the whole state of why she is one of the most converted prospects in that 2024 class, particularly given her competitive edge down the stretch.
Highlights
Even while trailing the vast majority of this game, Watts stayed composed to allow this Regis Jesuit group to crawl back into this game of late. The guard was at the forefront of this group’s defensive pressure on the perimeter, spearheading their devastating run in the 4th quarter, which got them the necessary momentum to pull off a victory. Her ability to ramp up the pressure at the point of attack got those Legend guards out of their flow, rushing decisions a bit more often, leading to costly turnovers. A pure lead guard, Watts consistently created scoring opportunities in the halfcourt, most often setting up perimeter shooters with wide open looks off a kick out.
Beers makes plenty of those plays that won’t show up on the box score, attacking downhill and oftentimes creating openings for teammate scorers.
Stanley did well setting up Legend’s post scorers, leading to accurate entry passes. Especially quick with the ball, she helped create a large portion of fast break points, especially in the first half.