Game of Zones: MMU vs St. J Showdown - Top Gamers

It was a battle of the last standing unbeaten teams in D1 and it did not disappoint. These two disciplined and well-coached squads went head up at each other, playing a physical brand of basketball accompanied by a necessary wit to unlock opposing zone defenses. In turn, the team that shot better came out on top. Check out last night's top gamers below.   Adrianna Hever, 5'9 W - St. Johnsbury Class of 2025   Going for a game high 18-points in this one, Adrianna got it going early and from all over the floor. The southpaw knocked down open jumpers as she floated into space on the perimeter. When the defense adjusted, Hever attacked closeouts for a variety of second layer buckets. It was an efficient showing, one that showed Hever can create her own shot off 1-2 dribbles with a knack for slipping into open spaces. Defensively, Adrianna worked well out of the zone pressure and secured possessions with her rebounding. A huge night for a wing that's capable of this any given game.   [player_tooltip player_id='645602' first='Cassidy' last='Kittredge'], 5'10 W - St. Johnsbury Academy Class of 2025   On this well-balanced team, anybody can get hot. In turn, there's a flow of passing and movement that feeds momentum. Kittredge, a sharpshooter in her own right, balanced her shooting with crisp passing. Her sense of space and timing is crystal clear, making timely feeds that turned into dimes and hockey assists. Plus, she knocked down her catch-and-shoot looks at a good clip. A solid presence in various spots of the St. J zone, Cassidy held it down and used her length to bother + rebound. Solid and steady.   Kyra Nelson, 5'10 W - St. Johnsbury Academy Class of 2025   A role player known for her hustle plays and inside/out size in the 2-3 zone, Nelson provided that and a whole lot more. Kyra felt the shooting stroke herself, knocking down a couple crisp catch-and-shoot 3s off smart spacing and confident shooting. Moving well into gaps against MMU's defense, Kyra found a couple mid-range buckets too, totaling 16 on the night. An x-factor off the bench, Kyra's play could catapult St. J in March.   Addison Ely, 5'7 G - St. Johnsbury Academy Class of 2026   Pesky pesky! Addison's physical, handsy defense had MMU bothered throughout the night. Ely showcased nice pressure on the guards in the half and fullcourt settings, plus, showed nice wit to strip forwards around the elbows or disrupt the passing lanes with active hands. Offensively, she brought that same fire. Addison made aggressive decisions with her orchestration, dishing savvy passes and exposing defensive gaps with her own movement to keep the dominos falling. Smart and scrappy outing.   Brianna Bunnell, 5'6 G - St. Johnsbury Academy Class of 2026   Alongside Ely in the backcourt, Brianna brings that same peskiness. Bunnell's quick footwork, hands and anticipation in the 2-3 broke up MMU's ability to find much stride. Then offensively, Bunnell was quite gluey. Her crisp passing made the defense work, her movement into open space kept defensive heads turning, and she hit a couple open shots to keep the defense wary. A favorite of mine to watch.   [player_tooltip player_id='975815' first='Maysa' last='Long'], 5'11 F - Mount Mansfield Union H.S. Class of 2027   There might not be another player in the state who works as hard as Maysa. She does not stop. Long is a constant nuisance around the paint as she fights for rebounds, ties up opponents for jump balls, and mucks up the middle with nice anticipation against drives and interior passes. On the offensive side, Long showcased the lefty hook all night, so much so you'd think it was her strong hand. Maysa contributed 12-points with her interior scoring touch, feasting on BLOBS. A feisty forward with no quit and a good deal of skill in her.   Rowan Butler, 5'11 W - Mount Mansfield Union H.S. Class of 2025   An x-factor for MMU, Rowan provided important work against St. J's 2-3, showing there were cracks to exploit. Butler moved intuitively inside and out, moving the ball quickly on the perimeter to shift the D and poking into the high-post and short corners to make the D scramble. In turn, she snuck inside for some sly finishes and threaded passes down low for clean lays. And on the other end, Rowan showed nice pressure atop the 1-3-1 defense to shake up St. J's shooting touch. A capable shooter off the catch too, Butler's 2-way play will be vital going forward.   [player_tooltip player_id='645675' first='Meghan' last='Thompson'], 5'8 G - Mount Mansfield Union H.S. Class of 2025   A critical starter for MMU, Meghan is just getting into the flow of things as she returns from injury. Nonetheless, she exhibited she's ready. Thompson paced MMU with 15-points, finding the bucket with a few nice cuts into the zone for lays, FTs, and a jumper here and there. What actually stuck out more so was her passing. She saw windows into the interior and skip passes into shooting pockets. Not all turned into points, but the vision and creation were there. I'm excited to see her once she's got a few more games under her belt.   [player_tooltip player_id='645777' first='Bella' last='Schultz Mitchell'], 5'10 W - Mount Mansfield Union H.S. Class of 2025   Bella's 10-points were much needed as MMU clawed to create offense. Schultz Mitchell provided some momentum with a 3 in the early goings to take the lid off the bucket. And later on, she finished a couple fastbreak lay-ups, snagging some easy points before the defense could settle into the zone. In turn, a bit of fire was sparked as MMU looked poised to mount a comeback at a few different intervals. Her physicality defensively provided some boards and jump balls too, slowing down St. J's onslaught. An important presence for a team navigating injuries   Aly Dorman, 5'7 G - Mount Mansfield Union H.S. Class of 2027   While any feeling of flow seemed hard to come by, you can't help but notice the wit and measured attack in Dorman's game. Aly's ability to organize and pass gave MMU the needed orchestration to attack the 2-3, which at times morphed with increased pressure on the wings. Regardless, Aly moved it well, provided pressure release, and showed glimpses of her crisp pull-up jumper in the second layer. At large it was a choppy game but there's plenty to glean from it.

It was a battle of the last standing unbeaten teams in D1 and it did not disappoint. These two disciplined and well-coached squads went head up at each other, playing a physical brand of basketball accompanied by a necessary wit to unlock opposing zone defenses. In turn, the team that shot better came out on top. Check out last night's top gamers below.