Deeper Dive: Class 1A Region 6 Player Evaluations

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the high school girls' basketball season begins to kick into gear, several names come to mind that could have big years in the 2025-2026 season. Here are five players in the Class 1A Region 6 in TN that people should keep track of.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1234154"],"_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-691ca2958d013"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1234154' first='Presley' last='Daniel'] displayed a dynamic game last year and it will be exciting to see what she can do in her last season of high school basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year at Wayne County High School, Daniel displayed a great ability to rebound and score in the paint. She had 143 rebounds on the season. She does a great job at keeping the ball high and away from opposing players when grabbing a board. Around the basket, she was an efficient scorer, shooting near 50% from the field on the year. In attacking the basket, she was also able to capitalize on these opportunities if she was sent to the free-throw line. She shot 77.3% at the line in her junior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the defensive side, she has good fundamentals when guarding post players and shows the ability to guard wings on occasion.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1039154"],"_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-691ca2958d078"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore out of McKenzie High School is due for a big regular season, and she has shown signs of it last year and this offseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stafford does many things well. On offense, she is a true three-level scorer and has above-average dribbling at her size. She has a soft touch in and around the basket and can score with both hands from that range. Stafford is also a great rebounder. She showed her scoring skill set and rebounding ability recently in a preseason scrimmage against Union City High School. In the contest, she recorded a double-double, getting 23 points and 15 rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the defensive side of things, Stafford's high-level play carries over. At 5'10", she can guard almost any player that steps foot on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["818131"],"_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-691ca2958d0c8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Leila Downs Darden is ranked as one of the best players in her class for a reason. She has already broken out as a high-level player in her years of hoops as an underclassman, but as she enters her junior season, the skills she displayed on the court last year will have only sharpened.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Darden, last year for McEwen High School, filled up the stat sheet. She averaged 29.2 PPG and 12.2 RPG. Darden's versatility on the court gives opposing teams constant issues. She can score from all three levels on offense, she can dribble like a guard, and on defense, she can defend positions 1-5. At the high school level, she is a true Swiss Army Knife player. This play has led her to get several Division I College offers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Her versatility in defending positions 1-5, as mentioned, also showed up on the stat sheet last year. She averaged a combined 6.5 steals and blocks per game, 4.9 SPG, and 1.5 BPG.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["900248"],"_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-691ce4c9d2ba6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Wayne County High School basketball team will get the benefit of having sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='900248' first='Alayna' last='Thornton'] back for her senior year in the 2025-2026 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thornton last year punished many opposing teams with her perimeter shot. She had multiple games over the course of the 2024-2025 season with three or more makes from distance. This includes a game against Collinwood High School, where she made four threes. On offense, Thornton is also a solid secondary playmaker at the shooting guard position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Thornton on defense has good speed that allows her to stay in front of defenders, and this same speed can also lead to her getting steals. This was seen last season against Houston County High School, where she had four steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["821862"],"_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-691e374488014"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">From Collinwood High School, point guard [player_tooltip player_id='821862' first='Belle' last='Robinson'] should make some noise in her senior season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last year for Collinwood, Robinson made an impact in multiple ways. Her speed jumps out about her right away. She uses this to score in transition and to excel on the defensive side of the ball in getting steals. Both these skills were shown last year in a couple of games. Against Wilson High School, she had three steals, and against Waterloo High School, she had three fast-break scores. On the offensive side, [player_tooltip player_id='821862' first='Belle' last='Robinson'] can also space the floor with a capable three-point shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->