Hoopers Owning The Moment

To own the moment can mean a lot of things. In these terms it means that the player is going out on the Varsity floor and making the most of their opportunities. They are doing all that they can to help their team see success in some form and that's something everyone can respect. How each player helps their team might be different but all that matters is that in the end, they are doing what they can and leaving it all on the floor.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    Johnson-Brock competed in the MUDECAS event this past week and they ended up winning their division. In the Championship game, the MVP that was named was SG - [player_tooltip player_id='988348' first='Daley' last='Pelican'] of the Eagles. Pelican hit clutch shots in the biggest moments of the contest, along with making other hustle plays when needed. This was a very nice showing for Pelican and Johnson-Brock as a whole. It showed that they can step up with the best of them and win when it matters the most. Sometimes when players or teams get into big moments, they freeze but not this time. This team answered the bell and made the most of their opportunities so far. When looking toward the individual future for Pelican, it's bright. If she keeps on this pace, she might be getting some college recruiting looks before you know it.     The contest between Lincoln Christian and Pius X that took place a few days ago answered a lot of questions for viewers that were watching. Most importantly, it showed that Lincoln Christian is the team to beat in their Class moving into the Playoffs. Their scoring leader in this specific battle was PG/SG - [player_tooltip player_id='1153871' first='Maci' last='Pittenger'] with 16. Pittenger may be listed as a PG/SG but with the personal around her, she competes more as a SG that can push the ball off a rebound in transition if need be. This team does have other talented individuals at the guard spot handling the rock so that's why Pittenger falls into this situation currently. In reality, LC has all the pieces to win a State Title this season. They just need to stay mentally locked in. If they do that, they will continue to see success moving into the Post Season at this pace.     If you hear about Oakland-Craig High School and their girl's varsity basketball team, you hear about their star CG - [player_tooltip player_id='820511' first='Briar' last='Ray']. Ray has been a constant over her 2.5 years of action with her OC program. She always puts up impressive numbers, she impacts the game on both sides of the floor, and she directly effects winning within her program. If she has a good game, her team usually has a good game and gets the W. If not, things become much more challenging and that speaks to the type of impact she brings to the hardwood. On Friday, Ray put up another impactful performance to help her team to a 20+ win, leading them to a 14-1 record thus far. This squad may have their top dawgs but it's going to be a team effort if they want to make a meaningful run when the Post Season kicks off in a few weeks.     The leader for the powerhouse that is Lincoln Christian High School, from a control perspective is PG - [player_tooltip player_id='1131060' first='Mattea' last='Kassebaum']. Kassebaum is a prospect that has had some D1/high D2 interest the past couple of months and she has been showing everyone lately why that is. In her team's big victory against Pius X a few days ago, Kassebaum scored 15 points and dished out a bunch of assists. To put it in perspective, her team as a whole had 8 assists during the contest and she recorded 5 of them. This is someone that can control pace of play, she can be the scoring guard that her team needs, and she makes good choices with the basketball a majority of the time. When you pair those three things together, you usually see success in some form and that's what we have in this case.     Sometimes I refer to a prospect as a "Swiss Army knife". Meaning that the player can do a little bit of everything, pretty well across the board. Someone that definitely falls into that category, who is putting together a respectable Junior season is 5'11 SF - [player_tooltip player_id='945431' first='Addison' last='Walter']. Walter stands taller than most on her team, she can eat up space with her movement and physicality, she is willing to mix it up with everyone, and she seems like a quality teammate to those around her. She is a team leader in PPG and RPG for a reason. Her mixture of athletic ability, height, and motor makes her a tough prospect to guard throughout the entire duration of a contest. This past weekend Walter had an impactful contest, helping her team to a win. If she keeps this up, she is sure to continue to put up good numbers while helping her team compete moving into the Playoffs.

To own the moment can mean a lot of things. In these terms it means that the player is going out on the Varsity floor and making the most of their opportunities. They are doing all that they can to help their team see success in some form and that's something everyone can respect. How each player helps their team might be different but all that matters is that in the end, they are doing what they can and leaving it all on the floor.