Best of Michigan Holiday Classic: Complete Players

The LBI Best of Michigan Holiday Classic featured several intriguing matchups and a gym full of talented prospects. Multidimensional players make the most impact on the court and separate themselves from the pack. I stopped by to catch a few of the games, and these are some of the girls who stepped up for their teams.    Delaney has become a key member of the Dow backcourt. She turned in an impressive all-around effort at the LBI Holiday Classic. Delaney was active on the glass, putting her body on the line to secure rebounds and chasing after the ball with determination. She buried multiple triples with textbook mechanics and worked hard on the defensive end. Delaney is a dual-threat scorer. She ripped the ball quickly off the catch and accelerated for a drive-by layup. Delaney led the Chargers with 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.     You learn the most about yourself during adversity. Against an elite team, Lainey showed her competitive fire and refused to back down. She drove with determination to the basket, finishing a strong and-one layup. Lainey muscled her way into position for offensive rebounds and finished contested put-backs effectively with both hands off two feet. She stepped into a three-pointer on the wing and buried it with a confident follow-through. Lainey communicated constantly on defense, causing a missed shot with a hard closeout, and made smart backdoor cuts. She turned in a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Salem at the LBI Holiday Classic.     Gabriella was a fresh face at the LBI Holiday Classic who caught my attention with her length, defense, effort, and comprehensive impact on the court for Eisenhower. She swiped the ball away and drove hard to the basket to cause a foul. Gabriella battled to secure an offensive rebound and finished with a strong put-back off two feet. She dove to secure loose balls, pushed the tempo using both hands in transition, and showed a dribble burst on her drives. Gabriella talked on defense and kept her hands active to create steals. She finished with three points, eight rebounds, one assist, and four steals in the win.     Megan is a skilled forward prospect in the Eisenhower program and she had a solid day at the LBI Holiday Classic. Megan utilizes her length very well to cause deflections and forces missed shots without fouling. She catches the ball ready to make an immediate pass to an open teammate as the defense shifts. Megan made a great unselfish shovel pass in the paint and used her strong frame to win rebounding battles. She put up a well-rounded stat line of six points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals.     Marianna is the undeniable senior leader of this young but talented Edison team. Her heart, toughness, and effort set the tone for the entire team. Marianna protected the rim, scored a strong offensive rebound put-back, drained a deep corner jumper, and added a smooth triple from the wing. She led the Pioneers at the LBI Holiday Classic with 10 points, secured four rebounds, and swatted two shots away on the defensive end.     Leah is a long and versatile guard-wing prospect from Eisenhower who continues to stand out. She has breakaway speed in transition and showed it on a fast break layup after grabbing a defensive board. Leah shot the ball confidently from three-point distance and anticipated passes to create steals on the defensive end. Her ability to penetrate gaps and collapse the help created open looks for teammates. She sees the floor well and is an excellent facilitator. Leah finished the game with nine points, a team-high six assists, three rebounds, and three steals.     Lauren is a versatile guard-wing prospect with an all-out style that grabs your attention immediately when she steps onto the court. Lauren communicated with teammates, worked hard to secure rebounds, and had an endless motor. She used a power dribble inside and spun to score a tough, contested floater off the glass. Lauren split the defense and went rumbling down the lane like a running back to score a strong and-one layup with her left hand. She tacked on the free throw and converted freebies at the line throughout the game. Lauren ended the game with a productive eight points, nine rebounds, and three assists.     Natalya was aggressive and productive for Eisenhower at the LBI Holiday Classic. She swatted a shot away in the paint with emphasis and took a steal coast-to-coast for a smooth left-handed finish. Natalya outworked her opponent for an offensive rebound and earned a trip to the free-throw line. She contributed seven points, three steals, two assists, and led the team with 13 rebounds in the win.

The LBI Best of Michigan Holiday Classic featured several intriguing matchups and a gym full of talented prospects. Multidimensional players make the most impact on the court and separate themselves from the pack. I stopped by to catch a few of the games, and these are some of the girls who stepped up for their teams.