Guards Steady in Final Day at Roses Classic

The featured image is of [player_tooltip player_id='832666' first='Makaylee' last='Butts'] (2026) of Avon H.S. and [program_tooltip program_id='713092' first='Indiana' last='Showcase Black'] 17U.   As Saturday winded down, the Run 4 Roses Classic tournament came to an end. Throughout these first three days, many ladies stood out with their strong play, while others just backed up the consistency that has been expected of them over the years. Below is a look at seven guards who stood out when I was able to see them throughout the afternoon.   .    Tayla was one of the more impressive prospects I saw Saturday afternoon. She plays with nice pace, she has very good vision, and she showed off the ability to make accurate one-handed passes with either hand in traffic. She looked to attack on occasion, but she definitely acted as more of a facilitator than a scorer. I also liked her effort and effectiveness at the defensive end of the floor. She is still searching for a college opportunity this Fall and has D1 interest.     Makaylee is an interesting point guard prospect, because she has shown the ability to act as either a facilitator or a scorer in the lead guard role. Saturday, she spent the early portion of the game I saw finding open teammates, collecting multiple assists. As the first half approached halftime, however, she had three really strong drives that ended with tough finishes, a couple through contact. I also think she adds good value as a defender, on or off the ball.     Shay has had an outstanding Spring & Summer, and I would hope her college interest picks up significantly following the weekend she has had. She is strong, physical, and tough-nosed, but she's also skilled with the ball and an excellent perimeter shooter with a quick release. She is a talented multilevel scorer, but her improvements as both a ball-handler and defender this Summer really stand out to me. I think she is an elite small college prospect.     I have really begun to familiarize myself with Laney's game over the past week or so. She is very steady and calming to an offense, plus she doesn't attempt to do many things outside of her own capabilities. She may not necessarily stand out in any one category, but her consistently solid play does stand out. I would look for her to pick up some new small college interest following a very good showing during the Run 4 Roses Classic tournament.     Sevan is a very athletic ball of energy who is always fun to watch. She has broad shoulders, great length at her height, and she possesses very good talent, speed, and even a little bounce in her step. When engaged, Sevan can be one of the better defenders in Indiana's 2026 class. Offensively, she can knock down the occasional jumper or get to the basket to finish, plus she has improved her vision and ability to find open teammates in traffic.     Hailey isn't very big, but she has proven herself to be an elite shooter with a quick release. If she is given any space and/or time, it's going up (and likely in). In about half of a game I saw Saturday, I believe she hit four triples. Additionally, she looks to have really improved her handle, vision, and passing. She has always possessed some quickness, but now she's using the dribble and her quickness together to get defenders off-balance and create easy scores.     Lanie has grown about an inch or two since last year, she's gotten noticeably stronger, and she is also more of a combo guard than earlier in her career. Offensively, she is a capable perimeter shooter when set and in rhythm, plus she can attack off the dribble and finish through contact. But I was most impressed with her improved ball-handling, ability to take on pressure defense, and her vision, finding open teammates in positions to score the ball.

The featured image is of Makaylee Butts Makaylee Butts 5'3" | PG Avon | 2026 IN (2026) of Avon H.S. and Indiana Showcase Black 17U.