The 16U and 17U Players Who Impressed in Appleton

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Today, I'd like to wrap up my coverage of the PGH Legacy Region Finals by highlighting a few older kids who played well when I watched them play over the weekend. Since four courts were rolling in the Champion Center, there were slots without 15U or 14U playing, so here are a few 16U and 17U kids who stood out in the games I watched.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='842251' first='Danielle' last='Becker']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Monona Grove guard has been a productive off-ball guard the past few seasons and has routinely found her way into closing lineups under different coaches in AAU and at Monona Grove. Last weekend, Becker knocked down a go-ahead three-pointer to give her Let it Rain team a lead they wouldn't relinquish to complete a near 20-point comeback win. She's not afraid of late-game situations and high-pressure shots.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='533062' first='Tay' last='Maass']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Appleton native is a physical player who has been among the most productive forwards over the last few seasons in the FVA. Maas does an excellent job finishing around the basket and is a productive rebounder on both ends of the floor. Maass showed flashes of dominance for a North team that lacked consistency in the backcourt and was their best, in my opinion, when Maas got a touch on the offensive end of the floor. She works hard and is a blue-collar post player who can help a team compete.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1217182' first='Bailey' last='Nelson']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another Nelson is coming through the ranks at Monona Grove. Nelson is a competitive kid who plays hard on the defensive end of the floor. The Silver Eagle did a solid job defending on the perimeter and making plays on the ball. Nelson also plays through contact well and doesn't let any physicality take her focus off attacking the basket or staying in front of her assignment defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1219523' first='Avery' last='Richard']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Platteville native will be a kid who catches people by surprise around the state over the next few seasons. She's a 5'8 guard who can make plays off the dribble, attack the basket, and finish at the rim. She's not a kid who has to take perimeter jumpers and does an excellent job of scoring around the basket. The Platteville native has also been among the best distributors in the state over the last year and rebounds well for a guard. She could end up as a scholarship-level player at the next level. I thought she looked the part.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->