POA Holiday Classic: 9 Solid Sophomores

On Friday, Prep Girls Hoops named <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2025/01/poa-holiday-classic-9-formidable-freshmen/">Nine Formidable Freshmen from the POA Holiday Classic</a>. The girls high school basketball tournament took place Dec. 27-30 and featured top teams from Oregon, Washington, California and Texas. Here are nine more underclassmen who made an impression on a big non-conference stage:    Nelson combo guard [player_tooltip player_id='832544' first='Nylah' last='Webster'] is athletic, has great handles, can hit the pull-up three in the defender's face, and can drive and finish through contact. Webster penetrates inside from the perimeter and stops for the pull-up or goes all the way to the rim. Her shot is hard for defenders to contest. She makes controlled contact with the defender and creates just enough separation with her shooting form—elbow out, ball over the shoulder—to get a clean look. It's effective. She was also big on the defensive boards. Webster averaged 19 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1 steal per game in the Platinum bracket of the POA Holiday Classic. She shot 5-of-9 from three against Jefferson.     A.C. Davis point guard [player_tooltip player_id='928114' first='Isa' last='Garcia'] is an excellent ball-handler and playmaker who can score from all three levels. Garcia is creative to get the basket, has a smooth midrange pull-up, and can hit important shots from three. She pushes the pace on offense and has great vision and game IQ. Garcia is athletic, hitting the offensive putback while airborne. She's a competitor, diving to the floor for a loose ball, helping to force a jump ball against a big in the paint, or ripping a ball from a guard on the drive. Garcia averaged 16.6 points, 4 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.3 turnovers per game in the Diamond bracket at the POA Holiday Classic. Davis competed against three top-ten Oregon teams in the tournament, including No. 1-ranked Clackamas in the semifinal.     West Linn 5-foot-8 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='832080' first='Kaylor' last='Buse'] is an excellent defender and can drive hard to the bucket. Buse has the athleticism to chase down a breakaway layup and get the clean block. The sophomore did a great job defending Oregon's No. 2 prospect senior [player_tooltip player_id='833642' first='Macie' last='Arzner'], forcing Arzner to make tough baskets and blocking her three times—on a drive, a midrange pull-up, and a three-point attempt. Buse has a motor on both ends of the court and can consistently get to the free-throw line. She has a good-looking stroke from the catch-and-shoot three. Buse averaged 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 3 blocks in the Diamond bracket at the POA Holiday Classic.     AC Davis (Wash.) 6-foot-0 forward [player_tooltip player_id='827947' first='Cheyenne' last='Hull'] is a competitor who runs the floor on both ends and can drive hard and fast to the basket with an athletic finish. She consistently draws fouls and is efficient from the free-throw line. Hull could play any position in high school and is the type of player who has the ability to just take over a game. She scored 26 points with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals against Oregon's No. 5-ranked Willamette. Hull averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals on 2.5 turnovers in two games in the Diamond bracket at the POA Holiday Classic.     Auburn sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='928137' first='Avery' last='Hansen'] has great vision and can hit from three-point range. You can't leave her open from the perimeter, she will drain the three—even from deep. Hansen's a great ball-handler who can beat the first defender to quickly drive and dish on the run in the paint, finding her teammate under the bucket for an easy two. She's got great body control on her quick pull-up midrange. Hansen averaged 15.3 pts, 9 reb, 5.5 steals, and 4.67 assists in the Emerald bracket at the POA Holiday Classic.     Bishop O'Dowd point guard Ella Bibbins is a great ball-handler and shooter. She can't be left alone on the perimeter because she can sink the open catch-and-shoot three. Bibbins drives and kicks, creating open looks for her teammates on the perimeter. She drives and gets to her midrange spot. She hit pull-up shots from the elbow in the fourth when her team needed to fight back and beat Nelson in the first game. Bibbins averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1 assist in 3 games in the Platinum bracket at the POA Holiday Classic. She averaged 2.3 threes per game at a 39.7% clip.     Nelson center [player_tooltip player_id='832046' first='Love' last='Forde'] is strong down low and consistently scores points in the paint. Forde has great footwork, a soft touch, and an effective left hook. If she gets the ball down low, she will score or get to the free-throw line more often than not. Forde scored 15 points with 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block against Bishop O'Dowd—a team that made it to the third-place game—in the Platinum bracket at the POA Holiday Classic.     Union guard [player_tooltip player_id='1051361' first='Myla' last='Larry'] is a playmaker and hustler. She has great vision and ball handling, whipping the rock around the halfcourt offense and slinging one-handed passes in transition to create looks for her teammates. She runs the court in transition, makes good cuts, and moves well off the ball. She closes out quickly on defense with active hands, poking the dribble, tipping the pass, and jumping the passing lane. She fights for rebounds on both ends of the court, pushing the pace after she secures the defensive board. She has quick feet and cuts off the dribbler. She has a good jab and can drive hard and fast to the basket or find the bounce pass in the paint when she draws the help defender. Larry averaged 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1 steal in the Pearl bracket at the POA Holiday Classic.     Caruthers 6-foot-1 center [player_tooltip player_id='1255352' first='Jaylee' last='Moore'] is strong with the ball in the paint and runs the court. Moore has good footwork down low with a quick turn, keeping the defender on her back. She goes strong up to the basket for the layup off the glass or a shot from close range. Moore can get in good position at the block and is a big target inside. She's a good passer, finding the opposite high or low, and kicking out to shooters on the perimeter. Moore averaged 15 points and 3.5 rebounds in 2 games in the Emerald bracket of the POA Holiday Classic.

On Friday, Prep Girls Hoops named Nine Formidable Freshmen from the POA Holiday Classic. The girls high school basketball tournament took place Dec. 27-30 and featured top teams from Oregon, Washington, California and Texas. Here are nine more underclassmen who made an impression on a big non-conference stage: