Guards I’ve Liked This Season

Brady Peterson December 6, 2024 @ 01:24 PM

Guards make high school basketball teams successful, and I've seen plenty of talented backcourts thus far this season. Let's talk about a few of them I've been impressed by this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1039233' first='Cali' last='Tagliapietra']   Grafton is a much different program than they were a season ago, and they look like a team built for the North Shore Conference. They have plenty of smaller guards who play like their hair's on fire, and at their best, the ball flies around the offensive end of the floor. Tagliapietra is the kid who seems like the engine. Her first step is explosive, and she makes good reads when attacking downhill. I saw her play last night, and she reaffirmed my thoughts over the summer that she would take a step this season.   [player_tooltip player_id='751252' first='Carrington' last='Balthasar']   As a guard coming off the bench, there aren't many better than Balthasar. The Whitefish Bay native was a part of the Blue Duke unit that brought their team back against a Waunakee team that got them in an 11-point hole late in their game at the KM Thanksgiving Classic. Balthasar can make perimeter shots, get by her initial defender, and make quick reads with the ball in her hands.   Katie Gnorski   A name that has popped up this season is this Waunakee guard. Gnorski does an excellent job playing off the more high-usage players in the Warriors ranks. Gnorski is an athletic kid who can defend and make things happen on the weak side of the Warriors offense. In the game I watched against Whitefish Bay, Gnorski used the fact that her defender helped her to attack the basket off the catch and draw fouls. She's an excellent piece to play with their talented group.   [player_tooltip player_id='751281' first='Rita' last='Kuepper']   Although the Hartford offense ran into some headaches against a talented Notre Dame team, there were positives to take from that game, and [player_tooltip player_id='751281' first='Rita' last='Kuepper'] was one of them. The Hartford native looks excellent with the ball in her hands, and her creativity opens the door for the Oriole offense to create something out of nothing on the perimeter instead of simply having someone put their head down and attack the basket. The Orioles will need Kuepper to take and make massive shots in March if they want to return to the state tournament, and she's capable of doing that. Once the Orioles are healthy, watch out for Hartford again this season.

Guards make high school basketball teams successful, and I've seen plenty of talented backcourts thus far this season. Let's talk about a few of them I've been impressed by this season.