Stock Rising 2026 Defenders

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><br>Prep Girls Hoops North Carolina is updating their rankings this month with the latest update coming last week to the class of 2026.  The following group saw a jump in the rankings, and they excel at being two-way players with tough defense.  Let's take a look.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["992654"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e352c386d3a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><br>[player_tooltip player_id='992654' first='Stephanie' last='Mobley'] is a player who just seems to thrive on defense.  She's always ready to meet her opponent at half court to guard the main ball handler preventing them from getting any kind of offensive play going.  She's always talking on both ends of the court directing her teammates and letting them know how she can help.  She's aggressive on offense, too, being able to attack the basket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["573561"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e352c386da2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><br>[player_tooltip player_id='573561' first='My'Asia' last='Young'] uses her defense to create offensive plays.  She's very tough guarding any player, especially on a full court press where she easily grabs steals that turn into points for her team.  On half court sets, she uses her length to get her hands in the way knocking the pass away and blocking shots.  She's elusive with her ball handling, too, being able to create open space to put up her shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["621988"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e352c386ded"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><br>[player_tooltip player_id='621988' first='Cecily' last='Swimmer'] is a back to back state championship coming home with team hardware and individual hardware both years.  While she can score from anywhere on the court, she's aggressive on defense being able to pick the pocket of her opponents to push the other direction.  She does well anticipating what her opponents are going to do jumping in front of passes and creating some plays off of turnovers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["922585"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67e352c386e4f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><br>[player_tooltip player_id='922585' first='Kaiya' last='Bond'] was another state championship winner who used her defense to help secure the victory.  She was all over the court constantly moving and anticipating what the offense was going to try to do.  She knew when to slide into the help position, and she battled against anyone knowing how to stay in front or settle behind an opponent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->