Chris' Natural State Performers of the Week: Volume I

This is a new series I am starting that will highlight players who had great performances over the past week. I plan on making this a weekly series, and for Volume I, it will cover performances from last Monday until yesterday (Sunday). These are also players from all over the state, regardless of position, classification, or grade.    Though Mansfield was not able to pull out a victory in overtime against Alma on Tuesday, [player_tooltip player_id='876349' first='Kaylee' last='Ward'] did whatever she could to carry her team to a near victory. Ward is widely regarded as one of the top players in the state, and certainly one of the top players in her class and at her position. Ward's triple-double performance on Tuesday was more evidence for that high ranking.   Ward poured in 36 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and rejected 12 shots! Ward was 13/21 from the floor and was 10/11 from the free throw line. No one could stop her once she had position inside. Ward's teammates would lob passes to her, and she kept the ball up and away from the Alma defenders. This allowed her to score inside without much defensive pressure. Ward could also shoot turn-around jumpers from just outside the paint, using the backboard to her advantage.   On the glass, Ward used that 6'3"-6'4" frame and her long reach to grab every rebound in sight. She was also too strong for the defense, as they were not able to box her out. This all allowed her to be a monster on the offensive and defensive glass.   On the defensive side, Ward continued to use her height and wingspan to her advantage. She is a legitimate rim protector, but she does not have to jump as high as possible to get a finger on a shot. All she has to do is gain excellent position, keep her arms straight up, and the opposition is unable to shoot over her without Ward getting a paw on the ball.   Mansfield will continue to rely on [player_tooltip player_id='876349' first='Kaylee' last='Ward'] for consistent offense, defense, and rebounding. If she can continue to post the statlines similar to Tuesday's game, Mansfield will start winning some games.     [player_tooltip player_id='603910' first='Jordan' last='Gramlich'] has already accomplished a lot in her high school career. She has done enough to become a Division II basketball player for the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, but she has also stamped her legacy on Alma High School.   Gramlich scored 15 points in Tuesday's win over Mansfield. That is a solid scoring outing, but compared to the other players on this list, it does not match up. Despite that, 15 points was all Gramlich needed to move herself into 5th on the all-time scoring list for Alma High School. After Tuesday evening, she had scored 1,046 points in the green and bronze, and she is not even close to being finished.   Gramlich's scoring was spread out throughout the game, but she started off the game on a roll. She was generating points off turnovers, mostly from the ones she forced, and was scoring from three, mid-range, and from the interior. Her shot was quick and tough contests did not discourage her shot selection.   On defense, Gramlich recorded 4 steals, mostly from stripping the ball away from the opposition, then scoring off of those forced turnovers.   Like I said, [player_tooltip player_id='603910' first='Jordan' last='Gramlich'] is far from finished, and I am sure that above all, she is eyeing a 5A state title to add to her list of accomplishments in an Alma jersey.     [player_tooltip player_id='876275' first='Payton' last='Futch'] has had a solid streak of games over the past week, especially her performances in Tuesday's win over Arkadelphia, and Thursday's loss to DeQueen.   Futch showed off her all-around supremacy in Lakeside's game versus Arkadelphia, posting 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 steals. She was a pest on the defensive end, reading passes perfectly in order to intercept them, and taking advantage of sloppy ball-handling. Several of her points came from capitalizing off of turnovers. She was scoring well on the interior, finishing off her looks on the fastbreak.   In the loss versus DeQueen, Futch put up 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. In this game, the junior guard showcased her offensive versatility. She knocked down some jumpshots, showing off her ability to hit from three, as well as driving hard to the basket. Futch also can play closer to a power forward, as she boxes out well and scores a number of second-chance points.   [player_tooltip player_id='876275' first='Payton' last='Futch'] is one of the top players in the state for a reason, and her versatility is a major reason as to why.     Nevada County High School has to require a lot from [player_tooltip player_id='1061156' first='Jordin' last='Haley'], and they continued to call upon her in their 34-69 loss to Spring Hill High School on Tuesday.   Despite the loss, Haley had a great game, scoring 25 of her team's 34 points. She also pulled down 9 rebounds, collected 3 assists, and recorded 3 steals. Haley was able to score inside and out, while also being her team's primary ball-handler and playmaker. She hit several 3-pointers, with most of them coming against tough closeouts.   On the interior, Haley was able to grab rebounds on both sides of the ball. On offense, she recorded second-chance points, and on defense, she would turn on the jets and race down the court for points in the paint. Her ball-handling ability was a strength of hers, as she could dribble with either hand full-court, split defenses, and set herself up for scoring opportunities.   [player_tooltip player_id='1061156' first='Jordin' last='Haley'] needs more help from her teammates, but regardless, she has separated herself as one of the top players in the 1A-7 conference.     [player_tooltip player_id='1061178' first='Jaci' last='Rainey'] has established herself as one of the top shooters in the 5A Central conference, and may soon find herself as a top shooter in the entire 5A classification. She had a solid week of games, including her performances from Tuesday's 73-44 win over eSTEM, and Thursday's 58-79 loss vs Mills.   Rainey had a season-high of 23 points in Tuesday's victory, scoring 21 of those 23 points from beyond the arch. All seven of her triples were off of catch-and-shoot scenarios, and if she has enough space and is able to set her feet, Rainey is nearly unstoppable from outside. Her release timing is adequate, but she uses a high arch to get the ball over the closeout.   Rainey's performance in the loss to Mills also consisted of her catching fire from the outside. All 12 of her points came from triples, and it is clear as to what her role on this Lady Bear team is.   If [player_tooltip player_id='1061178' first='Jaci' last='Rainey'] can continue to heat up from the perimeter each night, Sylvan Hills might start making some noise in the 5A Central.     The Crowley's Ridge College commit has had some solid performances over the past week. In Marked Tree's Tuesday win over Gosnell, Versie had 24 points and 10 rebounds. On Thursday, Versie had a near double-double of 16 points and 9 rebounds in a commanding win over a talented Rivercrest team.   Versie has a reputation of being a double-double machine. On Tuesday, she continued to build up that reputation, as she scored well in the paint, with several of her points coming from second-chance opportunities. Versie is hard to keep off the boards, and she continues to be difficult to keep from scoring inside.   On Thursday, Versie continued to dominate inside. Though she missed out on the double-double, Rivercrest still could not keep Versie off the glass, and she made her mark scoring down low. She was also a disruptor on defense. If she switched on to a guard, they were mistaken if they thought they could take her in isolation, as she plays solid on-ball defense, inside and out.   Marked Tree has had a nice start to their 2024/25 season, and that is in large thanks to [player_tooltip player_id='1051639' first='Journi' last='Versie'].     [player_tooltip player_id='1196030' first='Aliviah' last='Johnson']'s last three games have been stellar for the Lady Yellowjackets. Starting with Tuesday's matchup against Wonderview, Johnson recorded 15 points on three triples in the win. On Thursday, Johnson posted another 15 in a loss to Watson Chapel. And on Saturday, Clinton bounced back against Harrison, where Johnson had her best scoring game of the season, recording 27 in a 9-point victory.   Johnson's scoring outings have been the result of her perimeter performances. Most of her made threes are off catch-and-shoot situations, where uses her quick release and solid shot elevation to make her a lethal cog in the Clinton offense. She can get going in a hurry from outside, as she knocked down 6 threes in the victory over Harrison, along with multiple triples against Wonderview and Watson Chapel.   I had figured that Johnson was a name to watch out for this season, but now she has quickly established herself as a third star for this Clinton team.    Other Notable Performances from the Week:   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/macy-willis/">[player_tooltip player_id='435887' first='Macy' last='Willis']</a> 2025 G Valley Springs: 23 points in Valley Springs' 53-48 win over Wonderview on Saturday.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/samyah-jordan/">[player_tooltip player_id='465492' first='Samyah' last='Jordan']</a> 2025 G Conway: 21 points in Conway's 55-44 over Springdale on Friday.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/laney-marsh/">[player_tooltip player_id='1056041' first='Laney' last='Marsh']</a> 2026 G Episcopal Collegiate: 22 points in ESC's 44-49 loss vs McGehee on Friday. 17 points in Tuesday's 54-27 win over Central Arkansas Christian.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emily-loyd/">[player_tooltip player_id='1060897' first='Emily' last='Loyd']</a> 2025 G Armorel: 28 points in 1A-3 Armorel's 54-26 victory over 3A-3 Hoxie on Tuesday.   [player_tooltip player_id='1093289' first='Miciah' last='Fusilier'] 2027 F Camden Fairview: 19 points in Camden Fairview's 58-38 win over Sheridan on Tuesday.   [player_tooltip player_id='1090361' first='Maggie' last='Tyrone'] 2027 G Norfork: 24 points, 8 rebounds in Norfork's 54-45 victory over Viola on Tuesday.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/marissa-hutson/">[player_tooltip player_id='1061068' first='Marissa' last='Hutson']</a> 2026 F Viola: 21 points, 11 rebounds in Viola's loss to Norfork on Tuesday.   <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/mylie-newland/">[player_tooltip player_id='1061099' first='Mylie' last='Newland']</a> 2026 C Shirley: 25 points in Shirley's 38-71 loss to Rose Bud on Tuesday.   In Review   There were plenty of great performances from around the state and I am excited to start this series. Considering I try to cover one game a day from around the state for game reports, I realize I cannot cover other great games. This series should help compensate for the games and performances that I miss throughout the state. I look forward to keeping up and recognizing all of the hard work every player in Arkansas puts into their craft.

This is a new series I am starting that will highlight players who had great performances over the past week. I plan on making this a weekly series, and for Volume I, it will cover performances from last Monday until yesterday (Sunday). These are also players from all over the state, regardless of position, classification, or grade.