NCHSAA State Championships: Day 1 MVPs

The NCHSAA State Championships kicked off today with the 1A and 3A matchups. Each game, there is a Most Outstanding Player chosen from each team as well as a Most Valuable Player from the winner team. Let's take a look at those recipients.    Laila Smith got the scoring started taking the ball up the court herself, finding the open lane, and pulling up for the jumper. She was doing this consistently pushing the ball up the court and even opened it up for her teammates to score off the glass. She had a nice spin move in the paint losing her defender. She found her open teammates on the block wrapping the pass around her defender.     [player_tooltip player_id='413356' first='Whitney' last='Rogers'] was moving well on the court flashing in the paint to get the pass, and she completed the old fashioned three point play to help get the scoring going for Cherokee in the first quarter. She was a nuisance on the full court press knowing how to jump in front of passes to grab the steal. She was constantly getting lost by her defenders cutting baseline or making the backdoor cut being ready to score off the bounce pass. Add quarterback to her resume as she made a nice one handed pass up the court finding her teammate for the fast break. She did well sealing off her opponent on the in-bounds play getting the bounce pass and bucket. She made some nice passes in the paint to her teammates setting them up to score.     [player_tooltip player_id='621988' first='Cecily' last='Swimmer'] was doing well moving with and without the ball finding her teammates, hitting them in stride on the way to some points, and she even did a nice job cleaning up the glass putting the shot back up. She didn't back down from hands in her face banking it off the glass. Her ability to draw opponents towards her to wrap the pass around them hitting her teammates' hands was impressive. She's quick with the ball which is what makes her hesitation move so effective throwing off her opponents. She had a nice pass from the top of the key whipping it to the opposite block for two points for her teammate. She even showed off her range knocking it down from deep. Her on ball defense frequently led to turnovers as well.     [player_tooltip player_id='406923' first='Oshauna' last='Holland'] jumped right in to doing what she does best knocking down tough shots and finding her open teammates off the roll getting open in the paint. She always seemed to have an answer right when the momentum seemed to be going to her opponents. On the other end, she was playing tough on ball defense even getting a five second call leading to a turnover. She was making three pointers in the second half both from deep and from the free throw line.     Tina Bowers was firing from deep knocking it down, and she had a tough take attacking the basket banking it in. She runs the floor well being ready for the fast break bucket. She was getting inside for rebounds, too, ending the possession for her opponents. She was making exceptional passes drawing defenders towards her and whipping the quick pass to her teammates. She goes up high for rebounds, and she knows how to make quick adjustments to go right back up for more points.     [player_tooltip player_id='302220' first='Allie' last='Sykes'] was showing off her handles getting the open space no matter what it took. She showed off her own shooting hitting her shot from deep. She even had a four point play knocking down the tough deep shot from the corner and finishing it up from the free throw line. She was a tough on-ball defender keeping her opponent in front of her and making it difficult for them to get by her. She was sure to leave it all out on the court in her final high school game.

The NCHSAA State Championships kicked off today with the 1A and 3A matchups. Each game, there is a Most Outstanding Player chosen from each team as well as a Most Valuable Player from the winner team. Let's take a look at those recipients.