5 Bigs Battling Inside at the Top of 4A

Top high school teams in Oregon's 4A section — Philomath, Stayton, Henley, and Baker — boast skilled bigs on their rosters. Here are five paint players who have stood out in competitive matchups this season:    Henley freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1186484' first='Makayla' last='Schroeder'] is a force on the offensive glass and consistently gets the putback points. Schroeder is excellent at boxing out and getting the inside position to win the rebound on both ends. She is strong in the paint, helping on defense and protecting the rim. She cuts off the driving lane to the basket and contests and blocks close-range shot attempts with arms straight up. Schroeder gets a lot of looks at the rim — running the court, in the half-court sets, and on the boards.     Stayton senior [player_tooltip player_id='1186524' first='Kenzi' last='Hollenbeck'] is a tenacious defender, a strong driver, and a tough rebounder. Hollenbeck consistently helps on defense, gets her hand in the passing lane for the steal, and boxes out. She constantly gets her hands on the rock to force a jump ball, and will drive to the floor for the 50/50. Hollenbeck is solid on the dribble. She has a quick jab and first step to beat the defender. Hollenbeck can drive and kick for the assist or go to the rim for the finish. She posts up and has good footwork in the paint.     Baker freshman [player_tooltip player_id='887686' first='Molly' last='Rasmussen'] is effective in the paint and on the boards on both ends of the court. Rasmussen can beat her defender to the rim to finish through contact and the foul. She makes great cuts in the paint and has the vision to find the cutter for the assist. Rasmussen boxes out for the rebound, gets in position for help defense, and protects the rim. She's athletic on the offensive glass. Rasmussen has the ability to bring the ball up on the dribble and push the pace to beat the defense and get to the rim in transition.     Philomath sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='839070' first='Reagan' last='Heiken'] is a strong two-way big with great vision and quick decision-making. Heiken pushes the pace with a quick outlet pass or full-court assist after snatching the rebound or the steal on defense. She has quick hands on defense to deflect the pass. She runs the court and scores or dishes in transition. Heiken cuts backdoor in the paint or seals the defender on the post-up to receive the entry pass. She's strong with the ball. Heiken has great footwork in the paint and is tough at the rim through contact to draw the foul. She has a sweet spin move before the drive or the uptake and can finish an athletic reverse layup through traffic.     Baker junior [player_tooltip player_id='888115' first='Gwen' last='Rasmussen'] is strong at the high and low posts and takes care of the ball. On the low post, she can turn for the hook shot or to get to the rim. Receiving the ball at the high post, she can pull up for the midrange or drive to the basket. Rasmussen is deliberate with the ball in her hands. She comes to the pass strong with a jump stop and rips the ball through to square up to the hoop to give her the option to drive either way.

Top high school teams in Oregon's 4A section — Philomath, Stayton, Henley, and Baker — boast skilled bigs on their rosters. Here are five paint players who have stood out in competitive matchups this season: