New Year Fireworks: Standout Performances

There were numerous players who played well this past weekend. In this article, we take a look at a few players who were exceptional. They delivered fireworks on the basketball court and showed why they are some of the top ranked prospects in the state, country, etc.    [player_tooltip player_id='243895' first='Lena' last='Girardi'] is among the top players in the State and country, and for the second tournament in a row, Girardi was a standout. In Wesley Chapel, Girardi and company played without a point guard and the Senior took on a lot of ball handling duties and was dominant, including a 31 point performance against the Bulldogs from Folsom, CA. At the New Years Classic, Girardi brought enough fireworks for everyone. Here are some of the explosive plays she had against Bolles, one of the top teams in North Florida:   Three Pointer from the top right elbow, Spin move on a fast break finish , Score off of the in-bound pass, Baseline floater off the glass, Midrange 2 pointer, A three pointer from the corner, an offensive putback after an athletic rebound, another spin move in the paint, etc.   Girardi played well on the defensive end and also made plays in transition and on the glass.       [player_tooltip player_id='468627' first='Jasleen' last='Green']'s weekend was like one big hilight reel. The point guard set off fireworks in both games. Her three point shot was deadly off ths catch and off the dribble Green scored in every way imagineable. Her drive and pullup for the short midrange was absolutely spectacular. Green had the ability to drive it left or drive it right. When she wasn't pulling up for the midrange, she was getting all the way to the rim and scoring. That left handed drive and finish was like deja vue. Green made a living with that move over the weekend. She rebounded well from the guard position and had the ability to take it all the way for the score off of the rebound. Of all the players I saw over the weekend, Green was one of the top three standouts in the building.   Here are a few examples of the fireworks she brought to the fire show this past weekend:   Three point shot from the corner drive to lane and scored, layup in transition, rebounds from the guard position and goes coast to coast with the layup, drive and score with the left hand, Smooth pull up jumper from the free-throw line, another coast to coast layup and foul by the opponent, a steal and coast to coast for left handed layup, another drive to the rim and left handed layup.   Clearly, Green was in the zone and had fireworks firing all weekend long.       [player_tooltip player_id='751625' first='Terrell' last='McCoy'] was a force at the New Year Classic and that might be stating it mildly. She caught the passes with her soft hands and was outright unstoppable on the inside. McCoy consistently finished the play. She was a beast on the glass and had several offensive rebounds and putbacks for scores. McCoy's presenvce was also felt on the defensive end. She contested multiple shots on the inside and the opponent was always aware of her presnce in the middle.                 [player_tooltip player_id='430459' first='Stephanie' last='Vega'] was a "beast" at the New Year Classic and one of the most polished and talented players at the event. She has the ability to score from anywhere on the court - a three level scorer. Vega's jump shot was very efficient and she had the ability to catch and shoot or create the space to shoot the three off of the dribble. Vega's threat from the perimeter was a perfect compliment to her ability to get to the rim. She could maneuver to the rim with the dribble and also get to the rim with a deadly spin move. She was very skilled at drawing fouls and getting to the freethrow line. A lot of the freethrow opportunties were of the "and-one" variety. Vega is a skilled playmaker who knows how to get the ball to her teammates for scoring opportunity. Her passing ability along with her rebounding and scoring were on display.   Here are some the fireworks that Vega delivered:     Drive through the lane and score, drives and draws foul, grabs the offensive rebound and draws the foul, Vega has the ability to play physical,  she executes a patented spin move in the middle  creates space for the scoring opportunity,  a beautifule drive and score at the rim , nice drive and dish to teammate, drive to baseline and got to freethrow line , sneaky score off the inbounds pass , a threepointer from the deep left elbow, and a drive, crossover, and finish in the paint.   Vega is a talent and not many can match her offensive firepower. She made a future "stock riser case" over the weekend.                     [player_tooltip player_id='1091383' first='Seanna' last='Crooks'] was one of the most talented players in the building.  The game I watched showcasd Crooks unique skillset.  Crooks has the physicality of a power forward and the agility of a wing player.   She ran the floor well, executed crafty finishes, including some euro step finishes. On thg defensive end, Crooks was a physical presence in the middle and did a good job of defending against some very talented power forwards and centers. Crooks even extended her defense out to the perimter and showed the ability to stop the defender from attacking. In additioin to blocking shots on the inside, Crooks had the ability to block shots on the perimeter.

There were numerous players who played well this past weekend. In this article, we take a look at a few players who were exceptional. They delivered fireworks on the basketball court and showed why they are some of the top ranked prospects in the state, country, etc.