Game Report: Westview VS Millard North

Westview VS Millard North on Thursday night was one for the ages. It was one of the best games of the season. There is no debating that. In this piece we highlight some of the top players from each squad and how they helped their team last night.   Thanks for tuning in and enjoy!    Cardy King ended up being named the Player Of The Game from the local news source that was in the crowd last night because of her 14 point scoring performance. In a contest that ended 57-52 after free throws, to score 14 is major. No other way to put it but it wasn't just that she scored 14, it's how she scored 14. King helped orchestrate success on both ends. She was a constant at attacking the zone when on offense, while being someone that demonstrated active hands/feet on defense, helping her record some turnovers here and there. This is someone that has been a leader all Winter long. When you look at the team stats, King is all over the books with positive statistics and I'm sure that is something that is going to be constant moving into the future as well.     I owe an apology to [player_tooltip player_id='777564' first='Kalyn' last='Bailey'] of Westview after the performance she put together last night. Bailey, a 5'10/5'11 SF, showed off her full arsenal on both sides of the basketball in their contest against Millard North and it was extremely impressive. In a game that came down to the wire, Bailey gave North buckets at every level. She caught near the bucket for easy finishes with her size, she hit midrange pull ups with ease, she even stepped outside to the corner to bang a three pointer at one point. Not to mention, she caught a few times in the midrange, squared up to the hoop, and played off of her previous makes, mixing up her defending while getting a bucket to go as she attacked the rim. If this is how Bailey plays every game the rest of her high school career, we are talking about one of the best prospects in the 2027 Class when accounting for size, strength, skillset, and potential. That's how impressive she was last night in an important win.     The leader for the Millard North Mustangs in this one was Senior CG, [player_tooltip player_id='766881' first='Emma' last='Vander Plaats']. Plaats, a Doane Women's Basketball commit, is someone that gets after it. Her aggressive and calculated play helps her get easy baskets on the offensive end almost every night. It also helps her in the departments of rebounding, assisting, and defending. From all my experience, Vander Plaats can thrive on or off of the ball. She doesn't need it all the time to succeed but when she does touch it she can thrive at a high rate. When the final buzzer sounded against Westview, she finished with a team leading 14 points and 6 rebounds. A solid effort when considering the circumstances.     I have always loved [player_tooltip player_id='758842' first='Lucy' last='Fierro']'s game style and how she plays out on the hardwood. She is the definition of someone that plays the game the right way and for the right reasons. Fierro is a 5'4 PG with an accurate creating, distributing, and leading ability. She is vocal in her actions, always letting others around her know what's going on. She always makes the extra pass for others. She understands how to make an open pass from across the court and she never seems to feel pressure on either side of the ball. There is an art to being able to compete when you are an undersized guard and Fierro embodies that. She knows how to do some experienced things from the PG spot and that is only going to grow with time.     Last week we came out with a piece on prospects breaking milestones at the varsity level. Following that piece, it seems like Millard North has had some players consistently break school records. One of the most recent being in this game, [player_tooltip player_id='336031' first='Sara' last='Harley'], who broke the school's all time 3 point makes record. This is a big accomplishment for Harley. She is a college commit for a reason and this ability is just one of those main reasons. She can shoot the leather off of the basketball and she always has been since she she gotten into high school. Millard North is not done yet. They are going to be a tough out come Playoff time. If Harley keeps on knocking down big buckets and everyone else follow suit, who knows how far they might push things.     [player_tooltip player_id='747374' first='Izzie' last='Galligan'] did [player_tooltip player_id='747374' first='Izzie' last='Galligan'] type things on Thursday evening in her team's contest against Westview. Galligan accounted for 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in her team's narrow loss, demonstrating a little bit of everything for anyone that might be watching. One of the main leaders and real dominant sources of energy for the Mustangs these past 2.5 years has been Galligan. She brings fire to the court and helps pump up her teammates with her contagious energy. She still has a year of AAU left but I'm sure that whoever gets Galligan after high school, is getting a coordinated competitor who will do anything to win. That's something that everyone can vibe with.     The game never comes down one to play or shot but some shots are a little more important than others in the grand scheme of things. Someone who kept hitting HUGE shots in this victory was SG - [player_tooltip player_id='901689' first='Macy' last='Kellner'] of Westview. Kellner hit a buzzer beater early on in the game from three to give her squad some momentum moving into the next quarter but her biggest shot came with 10.1 left on the clock in the 4th. At this time, Westview rotated the basketball against the zone of North, eventually finding Kellner in the corner for a contest three ball. She ended up hitting this three ball, sealing the victory for her team in the end. These two 3 pointers were not her only attempts or positive stats but they were the most important. This win helps this group move to 20-2 as Playoffs approach, a ridiculously good spot to be in.

Westview VS Millard North on Thursday night was one for the ages. It was one of the best games of the season. There is no debating that. In this piece we highlight some of the top players from each squad and how they helped their team last night.