State Tournament: Day One Standout Performances

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 Mingua Beef Jerky/KHSAA Girls' Sweet 16 kicked off on Wednesday with 4 games at Rupp Arena. If you are from outside of Kentucky, our state tournament set up is very unique. Rather than having classes or divisions, there are 16 regions across the state and the winners from each of those regional tournaments earn a trip to the state tournament. Essentially, there is only one state champion crowned across the entire state each year. There is a blind draw to determine which region's will face one another in the opening round of the tournament. Below you can read about some of the players that had standout performances on day one of the Sweet 16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["560652"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eu003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003eBowling Green came into the game slightly undersized in the post, but Smiley made it clear she wasn't giving them anything easy down low from the start of the game. She had some big blocks and threw some excellent passes to get her teammates open looks. After going 0-for-3 from the field in the first half, Smiley knocked down some big shots in the second half and finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and a steal. u003c/spanu003eu003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["502278"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eu003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003eAlexander can make a lot happen on the court. She has a nice shot and she can knock them down quickly off the dribble or catch inside or outside of the perimeter. She also handles the ball well and can draw help to create for her teammates. Despite getting sidelined by some foul trouble, she made some big plays for her team and finished the game with 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. u003c/spanu003eu003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Chloe Potter","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Bowling Green","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eu003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003ePotter played a big role in the Purples win in the opening round of the Sweet 16. 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She finished the game with a double-double after scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The effort and determination was evident every second she was on the floor. She was working hard to fight for rebounds and stayed with it even on misses on the offensive end. Hill also had 3 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal in the victory.u003c/spanu003eu003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["724188"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eu003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003eRussell standout, Steele, got in foul trouble pretty early on in both halves which really hindered how aggressive she could play offensively. Darnell really stepped things up to help fill some of that void. After only scoring 2 points in the first half, she made some big plays in the second half. She finished the game with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist. Darnell proved that she is a player that will be ready to step up for Russell next year in the absence of their 2024 seniors. u003c/spanu003eu003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["167139"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eu003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003eWhite, a Kentucky WBB commit, was nearly unstoppable in the post for the Bearettes. Every time she got it down low, it felt like she was going to score 2 points. She was moving well to get good positioning in the post and also made sure nothing came easy around the basket for the opposing team. White finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes of play.u003c/spanu003eu003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_8_player":["502121"],"_player_evaluations_8_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_8_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_8_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eu003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003eGober has hit multiple big shots for her team in the postseason and the opening round of the Sweet 16 was no exception. She went 3-for-5 from the 3-point line and was handling any pressure that was thrown at her. On top of hitting some big shots, she also distributed the ball well. Gober finished with 11 points, 4 assists, a rebound, and a steal.u003c/spanu003eu003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_8_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_9_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_9_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_9_player_details_player_name":"Jenna Satterly","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_9_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_9_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_9_player_details_position":"12123","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_9_player_details_school":"Anderson County","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_9_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_9_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_9_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_9_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eu003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003eSatterly really stepped up big for her team this year and she continued that in the opening round. 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She has always been a big part of her team's success, but she left zero questions about her impact in the first round of the tournament. She was working to grab rebounds off the rim, including coming up with some big offensive rebounds. Taylor finished the game with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. u003c/spanu003eu003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_11_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_12_player":["747655"],"_player_evaluations_12_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_12_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_12_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_12_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_12_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_12_evaluation":"u003cp class=u0022p1u0022u003eu003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003eClaybrook came off the bench for the Jaguars and made a big impact instantly. 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