14U Topeka Squad Finishes Third At Nike Nationals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last week I featured prospects from Kansas headed to the Nike Nationals in Chicago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Between dining on fine Italian Cuisine in the Windy City, the Missouri Phenom Topeka 14U club team (pictured above) finished with a 5-1 record and a third-place finish. The squad posted big numbers outscoring their opponents 418 to 263 throughout six games. The team played stifling defense and limited three teams to less than 40 total points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here is a quick recap of five prospects with solid performances in the Chi-Town Tournament. All of them are in the class of 2028 and have bright futures ahead of them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='899198' first='Kaelyn' last='Boss']</strong>, 5'8”, CG, Osage City, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Boss affectionately known as “Squirrel,” was collecting buckets in Chicago instead of nuts from the world-famous “Nuts on Clark.” She scored over 100 points in the six games and finished with an average of 16.8 points per contest. She scored a game-high 19 points in a win over the Philadelphia Belles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='898363' first='Hailey' last='Caryl']</strong>, 5'10”, F, Topeka High, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caryl is a Topeka High prospect affectionally known as “Deisel.” I am just guessing that she has probably never heard of Kevin Nash, but like Nash, she is a beast in the paint and could be a professional wrestler if basketball does not work out. She averaged 11.7 points per game during the tournament. Her highest single-game total for the tourney was 14 points. Caryl led the team in rebounds with 33 in the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='898858' first='Hailey' last='Schmidtlein']</strong>, 6'0”, F, Hayden, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Schmidtlein is a two-sport prospect currently ranked as the No. 1 volleyball player by Prep Dig Kansas in the class of 2028. She had an impressive tournament averaging 10.6 points per game in the six contests. Her high-scoring game was 17 points in the team's opening win over Texas Pro. Schmidtlein was second on the team collecting 30 rebounds during the event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='898141' first='Blakely' last='Walter']</strong>, 5'7”, PG, Hayden, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Walter is a three-sport standout who plays prep and club basketball, softball, and volleyball. She averaged 7.2 points per game and finished with a high water mark of 15 points against the Philadelphia Belles. She competes with high energy in all three sports and has an infectious positive attitude.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='898167' first='Braelyn' last='Blackwill']</strong>, 5'8”, SF, Quinter, ‘28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Blackwell plays high school ball for the Quinter Bulldogs and travels over 250 miles to compete with the Topeka-area club. She averaged 7.2 points per game off the bench for the Phenom. Blackwill twice scored nine points for her high-scoring total of the tournament. The Quinter prospect shot an impressive 45 percent from the field for the tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->