Freshmen Shine in the Clay Cup Tournament Finale

We got a chance to see some good matchups and some soutstanding individual play. Each class and each position were represented in the tournmanent. Once common theme that continued to surface was the number of quality Freshman on the Clay county rosters. In the Championship matchup Orange Park listed 8 Freshmen on the roster and Ridgeview listed 3 Freshmen. In this article, we hilight the performances of some of these talented Freshmen who played and played well in the Championship game.    [player_tooltip player_id='974196' first='Trinity' last='Dinkins'] played her way into a conversation as the most skilled player in Clay county. She demonstrated a wide range of skills during the tournament: ball handling, rebounding, playmaking, outside scoring, inside scoring, strong defensive skills, etc. Dinkins was consistent throughout the tournament putting points on the scoreboard in every way imaginable. Her performance in the championship game was about as good as it gets. Dinkins didn't have an easy matchup on championship night as she matched up against [player_tooltip player_id='370059' first='Nacoya' last='Blocton'], one of the top Seniors on the First Coast. She delivered an MVP performance and has sent a message to the First Coast and to the State of Florida.     [player_tooltip player_id='912251' first='Ella' last='Crowe'] was unbelievable in the Championship game and showcased talent and heart. On offense, Crowe showed a lot of versatility. She has the ability to shoot the three, get downhill, and shoot the short midrange shot from the baseline and in the paint. In the championship game, the young forward was tough on the defensive, battling all game long against several senior forwards on Ridgeview. She defended on the perimeter and in the paint showcasing versatility, agility, and physicality. Crowe has a lot of intangibles you can't teach: heart, determination, and ball IQ.          Gabby Mallory was another impressive Freshman performer in the tournament. Mallory showcased the ability to rebound it and go with it “coast to coast.” Her ability to accelerate in the open court was a combination of speed and competitiveness. Using her quickness and size, Mallory also got to the rim on offense and scored. The young guard was also a valuable contributor on the boards. She had several putbacks after securing the offensive rebound. She also did her job on the defensive throughout the game, keeping Ridgeview from scoring easy buckets on the inside. Finally, Mallory went for all the loose balls and created numerous jump balls.           [player_tooltip player_id='1117355' first='Bella' last='Brown'] continued to impress with her performance in the Clay County Cup Final. The young guard played with composure and showcased an impressive skillset. She shot the three with great form and efficiency and also had a nice touch with her midrange shot. Brown also handled the ball well and did a good job of helping her guards get out of trouble all game long.      [player_tooltip player_id='1183397' first='Kai' last='Longmire'] was another impressive freshman on the floor for Orange Park. She made great contributions throughout the tournament. Longmire contributed in multiple areas of the game. In one game she was near double digits in scoring. She consistently played good man-to-man defense and also showed quickness defending on the press. Longmire does a lot of small things that help her team. Her rebounding ability from the guard position and her ability to run the floor in transition were impressive. The future is bright for Longmire. She has a tremendous upside with her skillset and selfless play on the floor.

We got a chance to see some good matchups and some soutstanding individual play. Each class and each position were represented in the tournmanent. Once common theme that continued to surface was the number of quality Freshman on the Clay county rosters. In the Championship matchup Orange Park listed 8 Freshmen on the roster and Ridgeview listed 3 Freshmen. In this article, we hilight the performances of some of these talented Freshmen who played and played well in the Championship game.