21 More Lockdown Defenders

Prep Girls Hoops Dakotas is back for another look Lockdown Defenders.   What wins games and championships? DEFENSE!   What makes a Lockdown Defender?   Great anticipation, quick feet, extra hustle, lateral movement, understanding angles, altering/blocking/contesting shots, ubiquitous NRG, killer closeouts, helping the helper, bumping cutters, blue-collar work, quickness, athleticism, communication, grit, persistence, taking charges, effort, committing smart fouls, physicality, strength, length, heart, toughness communicating, unselfishness, clean footwork, awareness, sharp reactions, mental toughness, and many more.   See below for reasons why these ballers are Lockdown Defenders…   <figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/lockdowndefenders.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1147804" style="width:238px;height:auto" /></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='317858' first='Alexa' last='Goertz'] (2025) |5'9 G| Sanborn Central-Woonsocket   She is the top player for the Blackhawks who are 7-2 and ranked #5 in class B. Alexa is the best one-on-one defender for SCW. Goertz has a sharp basketball IQ, she plays with tenacity, and has excellent anticipation skills. Goertz defends the other team's best perimeter player. She talks her game very well and is always in a favorable position when playing defense.   Brynn Odenbach (2028) |5'6 G| Lemmon   The Cowgirls are a hot 10-0 and Odenbach is having a great season. Brynn is Lemmon's quickest guard and has an amazing first step. She gets a lot of steals off of deflections and causes havoc from behind as she can run most girls down from behind. She had 30 steals and 33 deflections through 8 games. Brynn is a playmaker.   [player_tooltip player_id='838568' first='Emma' last='Solberg'] (2027) |5'7 G| Alcester-Hudson   She is the top defender for the Cubs. Solberg has a deadly combination of positive physical attributes and mental toughness. She is long, fast, tough, and never afraid to battle. She typically defends the opposing teams top player. Emma is a promising young ball player.   Izzie O'Donnell (2028) |5'8 G| Lemmon   She is the Cowgirls longest guard and has amazing timing on passes. O'Donnell is also very quick and makes great instinctual plays on the ball. After 8 games, Izzy was leading the team with 38 steals and 21 deflections. Lemmon is now 10-0 on the season and Izzie is playing extremely well.   [player_tooltip player_id='832308' first='Jordyn' last='Kohn'] (2028) | 5'6 PG| Lemmon   Kohn is the Cowgirls "Lock Down Defender", she always gets the toughest assignment and has tenacious on-ball defense. In the first 8 games of the season, Jordyn had 35 steals and was leading the team with 41 deflections. She is relentless on defense and never stops coming after you! Lemmon is currently 10-0 on the season and Kohn is a big reason for all of that success.   [player_tooltip player_id='613982' first='Kailee' last='Frank'] (2025) |5'9 G/F| Burke   She is having a very nice start to her senior season. Burke and the Cougars currently have a 7-3 record. Kailee defends post/guards, she is full of versatility. Frank is a quick and fast defender. She anticipates well, is smart, and always seems to know where the ball is going.    Madi Waln (2027) |5'4 G| Bennett County   The Warriors are off to a 6-1 start and Waln is standing out on the defensive end. Madi gets matched up with opposing point guards and she causes problems with her quick feet & hands. She cuts off slashers and steals crossovers with her sharp reactions and stealthy movement. Waln plays Lockdown Defense!   Mya Heinke (2025) |5'6 G| Wilmot   The Wolves best defender is Mya Heinje. She is their ballhandler, point guard, and top defender of the zone and press defense. Mya is a girl who takes pride in dictating where the offensive players go on the floor. Heinke is non-stop for 32 mins!   Neely Gustad (2026) |5'5 G| Deubrook   The Dolphins are 8-2 on the year and Gustad is their D-stopper! Neely defends point guards, the best ball handler, or the top opposing shooter. She is hard-nosed, aggressive, and willing to do the little things defensively to allow her teammates to have success. Neely is a great on-ball defender with quick feet and active hands. Gustad uses her body well, willing to dig into the post, and will bully the ball handler.   Lindy Kiehn (2025) |5'11 C| Kimball-White Lake   She is a senior center, Kiehn rounds out the WiLdKat defense by taking away the paint and posts from opposing teams. Lindy is very quick with her feet and has great hands. As a team, KWL runs many different defenses so it is a total team effort but Kiehn, McCord, and Skluzak are always tasked with the biggest/toughest assignments for the WiLdKats.   Peyson O'Neill (2029) |5'11 G| Bennett County   She is a long guard and only in 8th grade! Peyson stands almost 6-foot tall and has speed and length to guard any position on the court. She is young but is a talented defender with a ton of upside.   Reagan O'Neill (2028) |5'10 G| Bennett County   She is one of the top defenders for the 6-1 Warriors. Reagan is a 9th-grade guard who can defend any position 1-5. At 5'10, she has no problem taking care of backcourt and frontcourt players. O'Neill is fast and she anticipates passes very well. As a 100-Meter State Champion sprinter, Reagan makes plenty of impressive plays in transition because of her sprinter speed.   Rylee McCord (2026) |5'9 G| Kimball-White Lake   She is a junior guard who can guard positions one through four. McCord is great at anticipating passes and getting her hands on the ball. Rylee does all her work early in the defensive end by establishing position, setting traps, and keeping her girl off the board.   Summer Skluzak (2025) |5'4 G| Kimball-White Lake   She is a senior guard who brings a heavy amount of on-ball pressure. Skluzak typically plays full-court defense 75% of the game and does great at turning her girl into a trap when the defense is set. Summer is also relentless in the hustle department and has a nose for the ball.   Harding County (7-0)   The Ranchers play 8 to 10 girls every night and everyone who steps on the court can defend. Harding County is led by seniors [player_tooltip player_id='823730' first='Bailey' last='Verhulst'] (6.3 steals per game) and [player_tooltip player_id='823731' first='Kelsi' last='Costello']. Both are physical/quick defenders. As a team, the Ranchers are averaging 20.5 steals per game! Harding County does a lot of switching on defense, so everyone has to be able to defend multiple spots. Kaylen Padden is very versatile and can defend every position. Macey Wendt is athletic and has nice length. Brayden Padden is a strong-post defender. Kamry Padden adds length and timing (gets a lot of deflections). Sattyn Wilson has very quick hands and is a great on-ball defender. The Ranchers have the goal of being great at defense in every practice and the girls seem to have bought into the defensive schemes. Harding County tries to speed up the tempo of the game, they want to apply full-court pressure and wear out opposing teams in the 2nd half. The Ranchers run a mixture of man-to-man presses, run and jump, and zones.    <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/01/lockdowndefenders.jpg?w=865" alt="" class="wp-image-1147804" /></figure>

Prep Girls Hoops Dakotas is back for another look Lockdown Defenders.