AZGR Labor Day Classic

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the weekend of <strong>August 31st</strong>, the <strong>AZGR Labor Day Classic</strong> was held at the <strong>Kroc Cente</strong>r in <strong>Phoenix</strong>. There were players of all ages up to 17U participating in the annual event.<br><br><br><strong>Here I look at some of the standout 17U players that I observed:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='558946' first='Mackenzie' last='Buckner'] <strong>[program_tooltip program_id='713210' first='Bella' last='Vista Prep'] (MVP)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Buckner did some heavy lifting carrying her team to the championship. She rebounded very well and controlled the paint effectively. She also initiated the offense quite a bit. Teams did not have an answer for her inside/out skill set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='925236' first='Francesca' last='Sofia'] <strong>Liberty (Cal Storm)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The dynamite guard was a pest all over the court during the weekend. In the open court, she was a blur with the ball in her hands. She got into the lane at will and made good decisions consistently. Her three-point shot was falling which made her even more difficult to cover.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='986895' first='Tiana' last='Grant'] <strong>Millennium (DUB)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grant was a burst of energy for her squad. She did a little bit of everything on the court. She made smart decisions and took good shots that were in the flow of the offense. She also made some good passes setting up teammates for good looks. On defense, she was one of the better defenders over the weekend as she not only played good individual defense but also played good team defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='660218' first='Shanielle' last='Mallory'] <strong>Kellis (Team Legacy)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shanielle continued her hot play as of late as she ran her team effectively from the point guard spot. She beat opponents with her quickness, often getting into the lane and finishing with floaters or dropping off assists to her teammates. On defense she was a pest with her on-the-ball defense, collecting steals at a high rate.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='640352' first='Makenna' last='Johnson'] <strong>Liberty (Cal Storm)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson played very well in her role as a secondary ball handler for her team. She's a bigger wing that played with control and good pace. She knew when to attack her defender, as she often had a mismatch. She has been playing with a lot of confidence lately and it shows in her production.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='994814' first='Chloe' last='Oler']<strong> ALA-West Foothills (</strong>[program_tooltip program_id='791510' first='Las' last='Bonitas'])</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Oler left a lasting impression on me over the weekend with her consistent play. She was a force all over the court. She often rebounded the ball and took it upon herself and pushed the ball up court. She showed a nice pull up jumper from mid range as well as the ability to go by defenders and finish in the lane. she had stretches where she made consecutive buckets with defenders all over her. She should be prime for a big school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->