Under the Radar Forwards in the New 2027 Rankings

Earl Austin September 15, 2025 @ 10:07 PM

Prep Girls Hoops Missouri recently released its newly updated Class of 2027 rankings. Here is a group of forwards and posts in the rankings that have been operating under the radar, but have been putting in plenty of work.   Le Ataata O Tau Lelei Iatala: (University Academy): A 5'11" forward who plays a physical game in the low post. She really sits down and establishes a good base when she wants the ball. She can score on a variety of moves, including drop steps and up and unders. She can also rebound and block shots on the defensive end.     Heslie Higginbotham (Linn): A talented 5'10" forward from Mid Missouri who has the versatility to impact the game in a variety of ways. She has the ability to score at all three levels and she can also facilitate offense with her passing skills. Her defensive instincts are also very good as she puts herself in the right position to get steals and deflections.     [player_tooltip player_id='1231717' first='Ashlyn' last='Noah'] (Clopton): A 5'9" forward who was a consistent inside scoring threat for one of the top small school teams in the state. As a sophomore, she averaged 14 points, five rebounds and nearly two steals a game as she helped the Hawks to a district championship and a berth in the Class 2 state quarterfinals.     [player_tooltip player_id='777606' first='Ann' last='Lawless'] (Webster Groves): A 5'10" forward who is a solid all-around player. She is a very dependable scoring threat around the basket. She is also a good secondary ball handler who can pass the ball. She averaged eight points and six rebounds a game as a sophomore. Those numbers should rise during her junior season.     Ella Kroll (Joplin): A 6'0" forward who is a solid post player who has good mobility and nice footwork in the paint. She seals defenders well as she can finish in the paint with either hand. She uses her length and wingspan to have an impact on the defensive end with her shot blocking ability. She also rebounds the ball out of her area.     [player_tooltip player_id='1309439' first='Matti' last='Manford'] (Pleasant Hill): A 6'0" forward who was a First Team All-Conference selection last season. She has the physical strength to seal opponents and hold her position in the low post. She also has the mobility to go on rim-runs in transition. She averaged eight points and six rebounds as a sophomore.     [player_tooltip player_id='1309445' first='Kylee' last='Dubray'] (Butler): A 5'7" forward who plays much bigger than her actual height. She uses her physical strength to her advantage to battle against taller players in the post. She gets great position for rebounding and she will also get out of her area. She can use shot fakes inside very well to finish with a nice touch inside.

Prep Girls Hoops Missouri recently released its newly updated Class of 2027 rankings. Here is a group of forwards and posts in the rankings that have been operating under the radar, but have been putting in plenty of work.