Kentucky vs Indiana All-Star Game: Akeem’s Takeaways

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yesterday's opening game of the annual Kentucky vs. Indiana All-Star Series took place at Lexington Catholic High School, and it did not disappoint. The Kentucky All-Stars came away with an impressive 84–73 victory in what was a highly competitive and entertaining matchup. I had a chance to take in the action courtside, and here are a few takeaways from some of the standout performances:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["254273"],"_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-6843feeab417d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The LSU commit and 2025 Miss Basketball left it all on the floor and made sure her squad walked away with the “W”. She made an impact from the jump, creating off the dribble, drawing contact, and getting to the line early. In the first quarter, she ripped down a rebound with authority and followed it up with a big-time block. Her offensive rhythm picked up in the second quarter with a short jumper and a corner triple. ZaKiyah continued to finish strong at the rim and made another three late in the first half to trim the lead to just two. Her perimeter defense was outstanding, and she showed her court-vision with a crisp lead pass to spark a fast break in the third. Then she took over in the fourth, burying a dagger corner three off an inbound play, followed by another one from the wing to put the nail in the coffin. ZaKiyah scored from everywhere on the floor, crashed the boards, and played with a clear will to win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>28 PTS, 11 REB, 1 AST, 1 BLK</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["295764"],"_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-6843feeab41d7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Indiana signee and 2025 Miss Basketball came to play. Standing every bit of 6'4", Maya showcased why she's one of the most highly touted prospects in the country. She ran the floor well in transition and was rewarded with an easy one the other way, she then showed off her touch on a short jumper in the lane. Mid-second quarter, she caught fire drilling back-to-back wing threes with ease. Early in the third, she added a nice bucket in transition, then made a hustle play by getting on the floor for a loose ball. Maya stayed hot late in the third, knocking down another wing three. She can flat out shoot it, and every shot hit nothing but the bottom of the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>18 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["254562"],"_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-6843feeab4220"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Peyton was the unsung hero in my eyes and made big plays when it mattered most. She set the tone early with an assist in the first quarter, grabbed a rebound, and immediately pushed the tempo. She attacked off the bounce and earned a trip to the line, then pulled up from parking lot range and drilled a deep triple after being given way too much space. Later, she got fouled on a corner three, then had a nice left-hand finish on the break. Peyton continued to impact the game with a strong box out and rebound, then sliced to the rim for a bucket late in the third quarter. The highlight of the night came when she hit a defender with a killer crossover then scored with an easy two. Not long after, she went coast-to-coast for a scoop layup to push the lead to five after a made free throw, then followed it up with another layup that made it 80–72.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>21 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["295766"],"_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-6844127d8cf2c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Monique did a great job finding driving angles and staying in attack mode throughout the game, using her strong frame to finish through all kinds of contact inside. In the third quarter, she drained a corner triple, and pulled down a tough rebound. She stayed aggressive down the stretch, hitting another corner three in the fourth, then finished at the rim to make the score 75-72 with just over two minutes left. I really liked her energy and effort on both ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["311967"],"_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-6844127d8cf87"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ciara was very efficient and made her presence felt on both ends of the floor. She got things going offensively with a wing three late in the first quarter to keep her team within striking distance. Early in the second, she pulled down an offensive rebound, went back up strong, and drew the foul. She showed a feathery touch on an elbow jumper and displayed solid footwork with a nice post finish in the third quarter, followed by a corner three. Ciara continued to shine in the fourth, driving and finishing over a much taller defender, tracking down a rebound, and coming up with a big block. Her post defense was also on point throughout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15 PTS, 5 REB, 2 BLK</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["295754"],"_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-6844127d8cfcd"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I love Addison's game! She made an early impact with a nice cleanup bucket at the rim late in the first quarter. A lead guard who handles the ball extremely well, she used her body to shield off defenders and showed off nifty moves, including a slick behind-the-back dribble and a smooth pull-up in the lane. Addison was locked in on both ends, she came up with a steal and turned it into points, then nailed a three in the fourth to trim the deficit to single digits. She sees the floor really well and dropped a beautiful dime in transition, then dished another assist in the fourth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stats:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->