Defensive Dynamos in Lakeland

"Defense wins Championships." "Defense leads to offense." "Defense is a choice, not a chore." There are plenty of quotes out there about defense, but are there really many players that live by these defensive philosophies? Here are a few Defensive Dynamos that bring energy to their team and their offense through their defensive efforts:    Kori is one of the first players that comes to mind in the entire state when I think of the word "Dynamo". She's speedy, energetic, positive and can change the momentum of a game in an instant. A team starts with a point guard, and she's the one guarding that person and making their life miserable for the length of the court. In Lakeland, she had 2.5 steals per game for a MCDS team that allowed only 72 total points in two games!     I'm not sure what the state tournament record is for steals, but Zoey had 8 in their semifinal win. She's quick and can read the eyes of the offense to get deflections and steals that lead to offense. She finished with 10 steals over 2 games & Wildwood only allowed an average of 37.5 points per game to their opponents. They also outscored their opponents on points from turnovers by a margin of 59 to 8 with Zoey being a huge key to that success!     Nalah and ECS drew a tough first round matchup with Miami Country Day, but she played very well against a high-level team in their tight matchup. She had an impressive 5 blocks & her presence and length on the interior absolutely altered shots with how active she was. There aren't a ton of true posts and shot blockers in the state that can compete with Nalah down low. Impressed how she did more than hold her own against a state powerhouse!     Kendall is easily one of the most well-rounded players in her class. On the defensive side, she uses her length and speed to get in passing lanes and alter shots. She's smart about reading her opponent's eyes and body to get a step ahead of who she is defending for a steal or at least a deflection. KP had 3 steals in both of their games in Lakeland as one of the shiftiest players all week. Going to be a big spring/summer for one of the most versatile players in the state!     Zharianna played some big minutes for Southridge as the one true post player on a thin roster with only 7 players. She's not called to do much on offense with their impressive guards, but she came up huge on the offensive glass nonetheless. On defense, she blocked 6 shots in two games and had 4 of those in the Championship game. She was matched up up against one of the best posts in the Senior class & came up with some clutch defensive plays to keep her team in the game. I'm excited to see her progression over the next couple years with the demanding need for post players at every level.     Kamie loves to be aggressive in the passing lanes and it usually pays off. She was tied for the most steals over the two weeks at Lakeland with 10 total swipes - 4 in the Semifinals and 6 in the Championship Win. Her combination of quick-twitch athleticism, length, and basketball IQ allow her to read the defense and get aggressive with 4 other teammates who have her back that recover quickly like she does, too. MCDS only allowed 36 ppg on defense which led Kamie to getting her first State Championship with the Spartans!     Jannell was impressive in Lakeland with 5 steals in the Championship game against a team with three D1 commits. She also had two in the game prior to that in their win over a quality CFCA team in the semis. Her length, speed, and awareness caused a lot of issues in the passing lanes in both games as well!    <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   A few other players that also impressed on the defensive end of the floor:   [player_tooltip player_id='219786' first='Kennedy' last='Deal'] - 3 steals in both games   [player_tooltip player_id='248643' first='Naya' last='Hardisson'] - 3.5 steals per game   [player_tooltip player_id='1213565' first='Sakura' last='Barnes'] - 2.5 steals per game & 1.5 blocks per game

"Defense wins Championships." "Defense leads to offense." "Defense is a choice, not a chore."

There are plenty of quotes out there about defense, but are there really many players that live by these defensive philosophies? Here are a few Defensive Dynamos that bring energy to their team and their offense through their defensive efforts: