Best Perimeter Defenders

These are some of the best perimeter defenders in the state.    [player_tooltip player_id='815659' first='Maia' last='Melendez'] is always one of the smallest players on the court, but her tenacity and energy make up for it. Maia will pick up players up full court and get into the jersey of the opposing guard she is up against. She is a smart player, and you see her IQ on both ends. Maia makes opposing guards' lives hard, and you rarely see her get blown by. Maia does this while also initiating a lot of her team's offense.     [player_tooltip player_id='732202' first='Natalya' last='Wooten'] was able to carve out a role for a good South County team in her freshmen year in large part because of what she does on the defensive end. Natalya has excellent length and can guard any position playing on the perimeter. Natalya is a great athlete and has terrific hands. She is an intelligent basketball player, a fantastic two-way player, and one of the top perimeter defenders in NOVA.     Oakton has a great program, and one of the things they pride themselves on is defense. [player_tooltip player_id='876808' first='Sophie' last='Toole'] is an outstanding example of that, and after being a player that I felt was underrated, she is now starting to get some shine. Sophie is a tenacious on-ball defender and takes pride in guarding either guard position at a high level. Sophie will pick players up full court at times and is a pest. Sophie does a lot for Oakton offensively and is one of the best two-way guards in the state. Sophie was a big riser following her Sophomore season, and she will see her name in the top 50 at some point.     [player_tooltip player_id='743899' first='Lilia' last='Mellor'] always gives you effort on the defensive side of the ball, and she is the type of defender you can put on the opposing team's best player. Lilia is always first to 50-50 balls and has a high IQ on both ends. Lilia is a solid two-way player and one of the most determined defenders I've seen.     I talked about [player_tooltip player_id='816642' first='Zora' last='Burrell'] being a glue girl and the engine of every team she plays on. She is always willing to do the little things, and she excels at them. Zora is one of the top defenders in NOVA. Zora is one of the best charge-takers I've seen, and she is always out-hustling whoever she is up against. She guards every perimeter position well and is a high-IQ defender. I can confidently say I don't know a player who takes more pride in doing the dirty work than Zora. She is an outstanding rebounder and one of the best pound-for-pound in the state.     I could have put [player_tooltip player_id='312081' first='Riley' last='Hamburger'] on my most versatile defenders list because she can cover four positions. I see Riley as being much more of a high-level perimeter defender at the next level, so I felt she would be better here. Riley has good length and is a pretty good athlete. The Villanova Commit has taken the responsibility of guarding some of the best perimeter scorers in the country.     [player_tooltip player_id='300303' first='Erin' last='Edmonds'] is a long and active perimeter defender who shines on both ends of the court. Erin is an outstanding on-ball defender and is opportunistic. She forces turnovers and gets out in transition to get easy buckets for her and her teammates. Erin is a fantastic shot blocker for a guard, and there is no hole in her defensive game. She is elite on and off the ball and one of the top perimeter defenders in the state.

These are some of the best perimeter defenders in the state.