Queen of the Rock: Saturday Morning

<!-- wp:paragraph {"fontSize":"small"} --> <p class="has-small-font-size"><em>The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='1231133' first='Erin' last='McManus'] (2026) of Warsaw Community H.S. and OPS Select 17U.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This weekend marks the annual Queen of the Rock tournament. This year, the event is headquartered at the PSM Fieldhouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There are a number of quality programs in action, from shoe company teams to independent teams, as well as geographically from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and other states. Below is a quick look at a handful of players who stood out when I was able to see them during Saturday morning's action.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><font color="FFFFFF">.</font></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='462366' first='Alivia' last='Bolinger'], 2026, 6-1 F, Concordia Lutheran H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100'] Grind E40 17U</strong><br>- On a day when her team faced a couple of tough opponents and took some big losses, Alivia showed flashes of improved play and didn't shy away from the competition. She has really nice length, good all-around skill at her size, and she can make plays at either end of the floor. She handles the ball well in transition, she can initiate the offense at times, and she has really improved her touch around the perimeter and is becoming a nice multilevel scorer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='486473' first='Bailey' last='Hape'], 2026, 5-10 W, Evansville F.J. Reitz H.S., West Virginia Thunder-Perry S40 17U</strong><br>- Bailey is one of the most well-rounded wings in Indiana's 2026 class. She has a strong frame, she's a solid athlete, plus she possesses good skill. She can handle the ball like a point forward, get downhill and score, create for others, and make shots at all three levels. She just has a nice overall feel for the game. Saturday, I felt like she did a nice job of playing with a lead and handling adversity much in the same. Her consistency in all situations stood out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1231133' first='Erin' last='McManus'], 2026, 5-9 F, Warsaw Community H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='714264' first='OPS' last=''] Select 17U</strong><br>- I've seen Erin multiple times throughout the Spring, and she has been one of the nicer surprises in the 2026 class. She has length, a wiry strength, a nice quiet toughness to her game, and skill. She is willing to play physical around the rim, block out, rebound, and defend. Offensively, she has shot it will in the mid-range and from the perimeter, plus she's starting to drive it consistently North/South. She could be a really nice small college "sleeper".</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1256495' first='Mariana' last='Mitchell'], 2026, 5-8 W, Fort Wayne North Side H.S., [program_tooltip program_id='716173' first='Always' last='100'] Gators 17U</strong><br>- This weekend provided me the first opportunity to see the Gators, but it was also the first time I had ever seen Mariana play. She is a really nice athlete with an athletic frame, she plays with a lot of explosiveness and shiftiness in her game, and she loves to attack the basket off the bounce and finish at the rim, utilizing dribble-moves and creative footwork along the way. As she continues to learn the game, she has a lot of small college potential.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='807274' first='Sydney' last='Savoury'], 2027, 6-0 W, Belleville H.S. (MI), [program_tooltip program_id='712672' first='Michigan' last='Crossover EYBL'] 17U</strong><br>- Sydney might have been my favorite to watch on Saturday, and she's not even an Indiana kid. This was my first time seeing her, and it's pretty clear why our PGH neighbors to the North have her as the #1 2027 in Michigan. She has a strong, physical frame like a power player. At the same time, she is highly skilled with the ball, she can create for herself or others off the bounce, and she has touch around the perimeter. She is even a mismatch against 2026s.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->